Bridges/ Stone/Covered A bridge is a structure built to span a gorge, valley, road, railroad track, river, body of water, or any other physical obstacle, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges will vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is to be constructed.The first bridges were made by nature  as simple as a log fallen across a stream. The first bridges made by humans were probably spans of wooden logs or planks and eventually stones, using a simple support and crossbeam arrangement. Most of these early bridges could not support heavy weights or withstand strong currents. It was these inadequacies which led to the development of better bridges.Epic literature of India provides mythological accounts of bridges constructed from India to Lanka by the army of Rama.  The Arthashastra of Kautilya mentions the construction of dams and bridges.A Mauryan bridge near Girnar was surveyed by James Princep. The bridge was swept away during a flood, and later repaired by Puspagupta, the chief architect of emperor Chandragupta .The bridge also fell under the care of the Yavana Tushaspa, and the Satrap Rudra Daman.The use of stronger bridges using plaited bamboo and iron chain was visible in India by about the 4th century.A number of bridges, both for military and commercial purposes, were constructed by the Mughal administration in India. The ancient Romans built arch bridges and aqueducts that could stand in conditions that would damage or destroy earlier designs. Some of them still stand today. An example is the Alcántara Bridge, built over the river Tagus, in Spain. Most earlier bridges would have been swept away by the strong current. The Romans also used cement, which reduced the variation of strength found in natural stone. One type of cement, called pozzolana, consisted of water, lime, sand, and volcanic rock. Brick and mortar bridges were built after the Roman era, as the technology for cement was lost then later rediscovered. Although large Chinese bridges of wooden construction existed at the time of the Warring States, the oldest surviving stone bridge in China is the Zhaozhou Bridge, built from 595 to 605 AD during the Su Dynasty. This bridge is also historically significant as it is the world's oldest open-spandrel stone segmental arch bridge. European segmental arch bridges date back to at least the Alconétar Bridge (approximately 2nd century AD), while the enormous Roman era Trajan's Bridge (105 AD) featured open-spandrel segmental arches in wooden construction. Rope bridges, a simple type of suspension bridge, were used by the Inca civilization in the Andes mountains of South America, just prior to European colonization in the 1500s. Along the  National Road there are several stone bridges.  One in Elm Grove by the Monument Place. A few miles from my house about 11 is a famous bridge constructed in 1805. Countless people traveled upon this stone bridge shaped in the form of a S. It is called the S Bridge. The area where I live and grew up is filled with so much history.  Those who have traveled this journey long before my life, continues to amaze me in how they lived, their character and the legacy they left.         There are many covered bridges, called "wind and rain bridges" Just about 10 min. from my home is a covered bridge built in 1845.  Like many other subjects within my site I also love covered bridges. How they are constructed and have withstood the test of time. On this page is a tidbit of information about covered bridges. Covered bridges can be dated back two thousand years to a time when they were being built in China and even earlier in ancient Babylon (780 B.C.). Today covered bridges are considered historical landmarks, romantic structures resembling the past, but what was the purpose of covering these bridges? There were thought to be many reasons why bridges were covered, although not all of these ideas were correct. One explanation was that "the spans were built to resemble barns so farm animals would feel more at home and not stampede as they were driven across the rushing waters." Other explanations included: to keep snow off the bridge, "to keep the oiled planks of the roadbed from becoming dangerously slippery in the rain", to cover up the unsightly trusses, to provide shelter to travelers caught in a storm, and to provide a place to court your lady and secretly give her a kiss. One real reason for covering bridges was to protect the trusses from the weather because the environment caused bridges to fail sooner. Bridge engineers pointed out "that a housed timber truss span has a life expectancy at least three times greater than one unhoused" . Due to the wetness and weather conditions in many parts of the country, bridge builders quickly discovered the importance of covering their bridges. "Another important consideration [was] that housing provid[ed] a sort of insulation for the timber, shading it from the sun and maintaining it under more uniform temperature conditions" . Covering bridges became so ingrained within the minds of people that almost every bridge built was covered even though the cost to do so was higher. Many of the railroad bridges were not covered; but, when a bridge collapsed under the weight of a passenger train causing it to fall into the river, the Railroad Commission’s report pointed out that this bridge would have lasted longer if it had been covered. The bridge had suffered from rot in the joints. After the accident, all bridges on that particular line were covered. History of Covered Bridges in United States In the early days of this country, ferries and barges were adequate for the transportation of people and goods across streams and rivers. As the population grew and trade increased, however, the need to transport larger numbers of people and heavier goods across waterways mandated the development of bridges.The earliest bridges were simply logs stretched across supporting timbers. The span of the bridge was limited to the length of the supporting timber, or stringer. As the industry of bridge building evolved, builders learned to create longer spans using trusses, arches, and joined stringers. Like many structures of the late 18th century, these bridges were made almost entirely of wood. It soon became apparent that the joints of a wooden truss bridge would deteriorate rapidly when exposed to the elements. The covered bridge was invented in response to the need to protect the wood trusses and joints. The first partially covered bridge was built over the Mohawk River in New York in 1808.; It was covered completely in 1825 and 1830. (American Barns and Covered Bridges, Sloan: 1954) The practice of building wooden covered bridges spread quickly throughout the country. Thousands were built throughout the 19th century. One of the most prominent builders of covered bridges in Georgia was Horace King (1807-1887), a slave from South Carolina. King learned the craft of bridge building from his owner, John Godwin. King and Godwin built bridges in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama from 1830 until 1846. Iin the midst of financial difficulties, Godwin granted King his freedom from slavery in 1846.. Most wooden covered bridges employ trusses as their key structural design element. A popular design was the Brown truss, known for its simplicity, but others were also used. Given the ready availability of steel, concrete, and other modern construction materials, most modern covered bridges are built either for the convenience of the user, rather than to protect the structure itself, or as a statement of style or design. West Virginia Covered Bridges West Virginia - General information.  The state once had hundreds of covered bridges along its early turnpike systems and villages.  This number had dwindled to eighty-nine by 1947, and by 1957, only fifty-eight remained.  In the mid-1980s, there were only seventeen historic covered bridges remaining.  The Civil War and the devastating flood of 1888 took a huge toll on the covered bridges followed by mid-twenieth century when many were replaced with larger and stronger concrete and steel bridges.  Fortunately, spectacular Philippi Bridge has survived.  The only "double-barreled" covered bridge remaining in the southeastern states. Of the twenty-five covered bridges in West Virginia, seventeen are authentic and eight are non authentic modern stringer type bridges.  These 25 bridges were constructed between 1852 and 2002 in eighteen of West Virginia's fifty-five counties.  West Virginia's seventeen authentic covered bridges comprise a diversity of truss types, including Howe with Burr Arch, Kingpost, multiple Kingpost, multiple Kingpost with Burr Arch, Long, Long with Burr Arch, Queenpost, Queenpost/Long combination and double Warren. West Virginia's Historic covered bridges were built between 1852 and 1911.  All are fairly easy to locate. Covered Bridges in the United States  Alabama covered bridges, 11 bridges  Indiana covered bridges, 98 bridges Parke County Covered Bridges, 32 bridges  Michigan covered bridges, 9 bridges New Hampshire covered bridges, 54 bridges  New York covered bridges, 29 bridges Ohio covered bridges, 125 bridges  Ashtabula County covered bridges, Ohio; 16 bridges Oregon covered bridges, 51 bridges Pennsylvania covered bridges   Covered Bridges of Bradford, Sullivan and Lycoming Counties, Pennsylvania; 7 bridges  Lancaster County covered bridges, Pennsylvania; 29 bridges covered bridges in Vermont, 106 bridges   Virginia covered bridges, 8 bridges West Virginia covered bridges, 17 bridges