Root Covered Bridge

The Root Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio.[1] Located off State Route 555 in far northern Decatur Township, Washington County,[2] the bridge was built in 1878 in the Long truss mode of truss bridge construction.[1] Measuring 65 feet (20 m) in its single span,[3] it spans the West Branch of the Little Hocking River.[4]: 1398 

Root Covered Bridge
Western (downstream) side of the bridge
Root Covered Bridge is located in Ohio
Root Covered Bridge
Root Covered Bridge is located in the United States
Root Covered Bridge
Nearest cityDecaturville, Ohio
Coordinates39°20′33″N 81°45′16″W
AreaLess than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1878
ArchitectRolla Merydith
Architectural styleLong truss
NRHP reference No.75001552[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 27, 1975

Constructed with weatherboarded walls on stone abutments and equipped with a metal roof and elements of iron and steel,[5] the Root Bridge was named for the nearby community of Root Town, which has since become a ghost town. Its builders were Charles and Alta Meredith, who built many other Washington County bridges;[4]: 1398  two other bridges in the county, known as the Hune and the Harra Covered Bridges, also employ the Long truss.[6] It is believed that the Meredith family heavily favored the style, because they were responsible for building both of those bridges.[4]: 1394  Throughout Ohio, only eight Long truss bridges are in existence today;[4]: 1393  the majority of Ohio's Long truss bridges are located in southern Ohio. Besides the importance of the Meredith family, this concentration is also likely due to the presence of one of the designer's agents in the region, who also functioned as a general contractor for bridge construction in southern Ohio.[3]

In early 1975, the Root Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places,[1] qualifying because of its importance as a well-preserved example of historic engineering methods.[5] It was the first Washington County covered bridge to be listed on the Register, although five others — including the Harra and Hune bridges — have since received the same designation.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, 81. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
  3. Moore, Elma Lee. Ohio's Covered Bridges. Charleston: Arcadia, 2010, 117.
  4. Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999.
  5. Root Covered Bridge, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2011-03-12.
  6. Covered Bridges of Washington County, Marietta & Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau, n.d. Accessed 2011-03-12.

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