Skip to main content

Harpersfield Covered Bridge - Ohio

Image
By

In the Ashtabula County town of Harpersfield, just a few miles south of Interstate 90, is the historic Harpersfield Covered Bridge. This Howe Truss style covered bridge, which is the third longest historic covered bridge in Ohio, was built in 1868 and spans over the scenic Grand River. One of the unique features about this covered bridge is that it is connected to a steel truss bridge, which was built in 1913 as a result of a flood in that washed away the land at the north end of the bridge. The steel span was subsequently attached as a result of that flood. At one time, OH 534 was routed to cross the bridge, but the highway was re-routed around Harpersfield onto a new alignment in 1962. The bridge features a walkway that was added during its renovation in 1991 and 1992. Today, the Harpersfield Covered Bridge is paralleled by nearby OH 534 and there is an adjacent park for visitors to enjoy the bridge and also to spend a quiet morning by going fishing.

To get there, you can take Interstate 90 to Exit 218, then go south on OH 534 for about a mile. Turn right onto OH 307 westbound, then make a left at the first intersection. There will be a sign for the Harpersfield Bridge Metropark and the park was founded in 1961 when the property surrounding the bridge was purchased by Ashtabula County from Western Reserve Properties. Head down the hill and there will be a place to park. The Harpersfield Covered Bridge is part of the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival tour route, which features 19 covered bridges in Ashtabula County.

A view of the covered bridge on a quiet Sunday morning.

A walkway was added to the bridge to allow for easier pedestrian access.

A historical plaque greets visitors to the bridge and gives a little background about its history.

Looking west towards the Grand River as it makes its way to Lake Erie.

Wider angle view of both the truss bridge and the covered bridge.

View of the covered bridge through the truss bridge. There is also a small dam that is used for flood control for the Grand River.    

 
How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Ashtabula County Metroparks - Harpersfield Covered Bridge
Bridgehunter - Harpersfield Covered Bridge
Roadfan.com - Northwest Ashtabula County

Labels:
Location: Harpersfield Covered Bridge, 1122 Harpersfield Rd, Geneva, OH 44041, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

By
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 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

By
  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...
Post a Comment
Read more