Union Covered Bridge - No 1
Built in 1871, the Union Covered Bridge spans the Elk Fork of the Salt River on the Paris-to-Fayette road in Monroe County, Missouri. Built by Joseph C. Elliot, it is the only covered bridge left in Missouri representing the Burr-arch truss system. Theodore Burr, who created the Burr-arch design, built so many bridges using that design that he is called by many the father of American bridge building. The other remaining covered bridges in Missouri use the Howe-truss design. The timbers used in the Union Covered Bridge are fashioned from local oak and fastened together largely with treenails or trunnels, with a few bolts and nails added for strength. Hand-riven clapboard siding and wooden shingles enclosed the bridge. The bridge is 120 feet long, 17 1/2 feet wide, and has 12 foot high entrance large enough to admit a wagonload of hay.
In 1968 a partial restoration was completed using materials from the Mexico Covered Bridge which was destroyed the year before by flood waters. In 1970 the Union Covered Bridge was closed after structural timbers were damaged by overweight trucks. A total restoration was completed in 1988. In 2008 the bridge was threatened by severe flooding and siding was removed to allow the stream to flow freely through the understructure of the bridge, thus sparing it the full force of the current.
The bridge was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is no longer used for vehicle traffic, and is now maintained by the state of Missouri as a State Historic Site. It is one of only four remaining covered bridges in the state of Missouri.
© All rights reserved - - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of the photographer, Mark S. Schuver.
The best way to view my photostream is on Flickriver: Nikon66's photos on Flickriver
Union Covered Bridge - No 1
Built in 1871, the Union Covered Bridge spans the Elk Fork of the Salt River on the Paris-to-Fayette road in Monroe County, Missouri. Built by Joseph C. Elliot, it is the only covered bridge left in Missouri representing the Burr-arch truss system. Theodore Burr, who created the Burr-arch design, built so many bridges using that design that he is called by many the father of American bridge building. The other remaining covered bridges in Missouri use the Howe-truss design. The timbers used in the Union Covered Bridge are fashioned from local oak and fastened together largely with treenails or trunnels, with a few bolts and nails added for strength. Hand-riven clapboard siding and wooden shingles enclosed the bridge. The bridge is 120 feet long, 17 1/2 feet wide, and has 12 foot high entrance large enough to admit a wagonload of hay.
In 1968 a partial restoration was completed using materials from the Mexico Covered Bridge which was destroyed the year before by flood waters. In 1970 the Union Covered Bridge was closed after structural timbers were damaged by overweight trucks. A total restoration was completed in 1988. In 2008 the bridge was threatened by severe flooding and siding was removed to allow the stream to flow freely through the understructure of the bridge, thus sparing it the full force of the current.
The bridge was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is no longer used for vehicle traffic, and is now maintained by the state of Missouri as a State Historic Site. It is one of only four remaining covered bridges in the state of Missouri.
© All rights reserved - - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of the photographer, Mark S. Schuver.
The best way to view my photostream is on Flickriver: Nikon66's photos on Flickriver