Skip to main content

Netcher Road Covered Bridge - Ashtabula County, Ohio

Image
By

 


Of all of the covered bridges found around Ashtabula County, Ohio, the Netcher Road Covered Bridge located in Jefferson, Ohio was the last covered bridge built in the county during the 20th Century, opening to the public in August 1999. Just a few years younger than the nearby Smolen-Gulf Bridge, the Netcher Bridge is built with a Haupt truss design and features what is best described as a neo-Victorian exterior look. The Netcher Road Covered Bridge crosses Mill Creek is 110 feet in length, 22 feet in width and 14 feet, 6 inches tall, which can easily withstand the height clearance of most vehicles. Designed by then-Ashtabula County Engineer John Smolen with an architectural design by local architect Beverly Cowles of Jefferson, Ohio, the covered bridge cost $819,050 and was funded through a Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act grant.

John Smolen himself chose the Haupt truss design for the bridge, a design originally used in railroad design and created by Herman Haupt of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1854. Richter Construction of Columbus, Ohio won the bid to construct the covered bridge, while the 24 ton trusses for the covered bridge were fabricated in Ripley, West Virginia. Southern pine was used for the interior bridge construction, namely the arches, walls, floor and roof. Yellow poplar was used for the covered bridge's siding. The covered bridge was stained red and trimmed in a cream color, since painted white. The light trim makes the cupolas above the bridge's portals certainly stand out. The architectural highlights of the bridge include cupolas with copper roofs at each end.

I visited the Netcher Road Covered Bridge while chipping away at my list of seeing the many covered bridges in Ashtaubla County. The cupola and siding design for this bridge are what really make it stand out, especially as it is a design feature I don't really come across when seeing covered bridges around the Northeastern United States. The Netcher Road Covered Bridge is certainly worth the quick visit if you are exploring covered bridges in northeast Ohio.





How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Ashtabula County Barn Quilt Trail - Netcher Road
Ashtabula County Ohio Visitors Bureau - Netcher Road Covered Bridge
The Pennsylvania Rambler - Netcher Road Covered Bridge
My Ohio Fun - Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour
Tom The Backroads Traveller - The Netcher Road Covered Bridge
Ashtabula Star Beacon - Netcher Road: The last covered bridge built over Mill Creek (April 12, 2009)
Labels:
Location: Netcher Road Covered Bridge, 1544 Netcher Rd, Jefferson, OH 44047, 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