Skip to main content

Patrick County, Virginia Covered Bridges

Patrick County is home to two of Virginia's eight remaining covered bridges eighty years and older.  The two bridges, Bob White and Jacks Creek, are located within miles of each other off of VA Route 8.

Bob White Covered Bridge:
 
Just off of Route 8 in Woolwine sits the Bob White Covered Bridge.  Built in 1921, the 80' Burr Truss bridge over the Smith River is one of the last covered bridges built for general traffic in Virginia.   Designed and built by Walter Weaver of Woolwine, the bridge served as an access point to the Smith River Church of the Brethren.  The bridge is now closed to vehicles but is the centerpiece of Patrick County's Covered Bridge Festival held annually in June. 

To get to the Bob White Covered Bridge follow VA 8 south of Woolwine, turn left to go east on Route 618 for one mile and then turn right onto Route 869.  Route 869 dead ends at the bridge.  Brown destination signs also mark the route to the bridge.

Jack's Creek Covered Bridge:
 
Just a few miles south on VA 8 from the Bob White Bridge is another covered bridge over the Smith River.  Jack's Creek Bridge - named for a nearby Baptist Church - is slightly older and shorter than Bob White.  The 48-foot span was also designed by Walter Weaver and built in 1914.  The bridge was built by Charles Vaughn. 
 
The Jack's Creek Bridge is also located south of Woolwine and can be seen from Route 8.  From VA 8 South, a quick right turn onto Route 615 takes you to the bridge.

 
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...