Skip to main content

Philippi Covered Bridge

The Philippi Covered Bridge is one of the most historic bridges in West Virginia.  Built in 1852, it is one of the oldest covered bridges in the state and the country.  The Philippi Covered Bridge is the last remaining covered bridge to serve a US Highway.  Currently, US 250 rides over the dual carriageway.

A straight on view from the Philippi side of the covered bridge that carries US 250
The bridge built by Lemuel Chenoweth has survived the first Civil War land battle, floods, fires, along with structural repairs and widening.  The bridge originally had what amounted to one traffic lane but it was widened in 1934 to accommodate two lanes.  Four years later, the wooden deck was replaced with a concrete floor.   A fire in February 1989 closed the bridge for over two years.  The fire was started as a result of an overflow of gasoline from a nearby station that was ignited by a spark from a passing car's exhaust system.  The bridge would reopen 27 months later in September 1991 with it being designed to match the original construction as closely as possible. (1)

A closer view of the entrance to the bridge as you leave Downtown Philippi.
This photo shows the side of the  yellow poplar and Burr Arch Truss bridge that carries US 250 West
In 2004, a bypass route for US 250 was opened to the South.  The bypass is signed as Truck US 250. Mainline US 250 still routes through town and over the bridge.

A close-up of the complex under workings of the bridg
The stone abutment for the bridge

West Virginia Historical Marker discussing the history of the Bridge.

The City of Philippi uses the bridge as part of the city seal.
Sources & Links:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 1915-era Teilman Bridge (the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge in California)

The Teilman Bridge is a semi-abandoned structure over Fresno Slough west of Burrell siding near the intersection of Elkhorn Avenue and Elkhorn Grade.  This structure is the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge constructed in California and was designed by Ingvart Teilman.  Teilman's Bridge would open in late 1915 when the Elkhorn Grade was the primary road between Fresno and Coalinga.  The structure would be replaced in 1991 but was left standing as it carries pipelines over Fresno Slough.  Part 1; the history of the Teilman Bridge In the early Twentieth Century the most direct highway between Fresno and Coalinga followed the Elkhorn Grade.  The Elkhorn Grade began at Fresno Slough a short distance west of Burrell siding.  From Fresno Slough the Elkhorn Grade followed a generally southwestern course through San Joaquin Valley into the Kettleman Hills towards Coalinga.   The Elkhorn Grade can be seen on the  1914 C.F. Weber map of Fresno Coun...

The Dummy Lights of New York

  A relic of the early days of motoring, dummy lights were traffic lights  that  were  placed  in the middle of a street intersection. In those early days, traffic shuffled through busy intersections with the help of a police officer who stood on top of a pedestal. As technology improved and electric traffic signals became commonplace, they were also  originally  positioned on a platform at the center of the intersection. Those traffic signals became known as  " dummy lights "  and were common until  traffic lights were moved  onto wires and poles that crossed above the intersection.  In New York State, only a handful of these dummy lights exist. The dummy lights  are found  in the Hudson Valley towns of Beacon and Croton-on-Hudson, plus there is an ongoing tug of war in Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley, where their dummy light has been knocked down and replaced a few times. The dummy light in Canajoharie is currently...

Prunedale Road (Monterey County)

Prunedale Road is a short 2.6-mile-long frontage corridor of US Route 101 in the namesake Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Prior to 1932 US Route 101 bypassed Prunedale in favor of the San Juan Grade to the east.  Prunedale Road along with nearby Moro Road served as an alternative connecting highway between Salinas and San Juan Bautista.  Following the realignment of US Route 101 onto the Prunedale Cutoff the former through route along Prunedale Road would be rendered as a western frontage.   Part 1; the history of Prunedale Road Prunedale Road is located in and is named after the Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Said community was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley.  Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers.  The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908.  Early agricu...