When did they stop building covered bridges?

About 14,000 covered bridges have been built in the United States, mostly in the years 1825 to 1875. The first documented was the Permanent Bridge, completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. However, most other early examples of covered bridges do not appear until the 1820s.



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In the mid-1800s, the development of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses. Metal structures did not need protection from the elements, so they no longer needed to be covered.

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Notes. - Significance: The Cornish-Windsor Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the U.S. and the second-longest two-span covered bridge in the world. It is an excellent example of the work of James Tasker and Bela Fletcher, two prolific New England bridge builders.

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Most bridges were painted “barn red.” It would be great to say this was for safety or longevity reasons. But it is simply a cost-cutting measure. Barns, bridges, and other wooden structures were typically painted red in the 1800s because it was cheap to make.

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Today there are around 200 covered bridges, that remain in the state of Pennsylvania, and that includes 28 just in Lancaster County! While covered bridges are sometimes called “kissing bridges” the reason for the roofs is to protect the bridge's truss structure from all the weather conditions.

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