Spencerville Covered Bridge

I've written before about the historic covered bridge located in a small town not far from where we live. You can find that post here.

Last September, the covered bridge suffered thousands of dollars of damage when a semi, that was much too large for the bridge, drove across it. The semi broke beams and roof supports along the full length of the bridge and knocked down a sign on one end of the bridge as it drove out.

Reportedly, the truck’s driver had stopped to ask for directions and did receive instructions for crossing the river on a newer bridge that had been built to handle vehicles too large for the covered bridge or for those who preferred not to use the old bridge. Apparently, though, the semi driver’s GPS led him to the covered bridge instead of to the new bridge.

The bridge has now been repaired and is again open. Little of the span was salvageable after the semi tore apart its interior. Crews were able to save some of the iron shoes that held the trusses in place and used new parts to rebuild the bridge the way it was initially constructed in the 1870s.

Doug and I drove by there last Saturday and chuckled as we saw that, along with the repairs that had been completed, a cross-beam barrier had been added a few hundred yards before each entrance to the bridge. It's designed to let any vehicle that's too large for the bridge find out about it before entering the bridge itself.

One of the cross-beam barriers.

Here, you can see the new barrier, with the restored bridge in the background on the left.

The view of the other end of the bridge.

Dinner on the Bridge

Covered bridges are a relatively rare sight these days and are an object of interest and curiosity for many, including me. There is one located in a small town not far from where we live. Built in 1873, it's still in use by modern vehicles as well as by Amish horse-drawn carriages, although a "bypass" is now available for those who prefer to avoid the old structure.

A few years ago, some friends invited us to attend a "Dinner on the Bridge" evening with them. It was apparently an annual event, although not one with which we were familiar.

The October event was a catered affair, with delicious food and live music.

But it was COLD.

The temperature was in the forties that evening, and the wind was blustery. Tarps had been hung over the ends of the bridge and over the windows along the sides, to block the wind, but it was still mighty cold. We had all dressed warmly, though, so the situation was tolerable. It WAS a bit hard to eat with our gloves on, but that wasn't enough to stop folks like us who really enjoy food (and who had paid for it in advance).

It was a fun evening, in spite of the weather, with good friends and good food and an event made more memorable by the challenges. But we never did it again.