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Indian Creek Covered Bridge

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1898, Oscar and Ray Weikel. West side of U.S. 219, approximately 2 miles south of Salt Sulphur Springs

This single-span covered bridge was built by brothers sixteen and eighteen years old, who received the contract because their uncle, who ran a sawmill, guaranteed their performance. The county paid the brothers approximately $400 for their work. The wooden superstructure, supported by a modified Howe truss, is strengthened at salient points with iron rods and rests on dry-laid limestone abutments. The bridge is just over 50 feet long and 14 feet wide and has a vertical clearance of 11 feet.

The Monroe County Historical Society supervised restoration in 1965 with the approval of Oscar Weikel, then eighty-one years old, and with assistance from a third Weikel brother. The framing was still sound, and all that had to be replaced were siding, flooring, and roof. For the latter, red oak was used as a replacement for the no longer obtainable chestnut of the original roof. In deference to an ancient superstition, the workers installed the new shingles at night under a moonlit sky to ensure that they would not warp. A second, far more extensive restoration was accomplished in 2000–2001. Located in a pristine rural setting but easily accessible, this rare and picturesque survivor is one of the state's most photographed covered bridges.

Writing Credits

Author: 
S. Allen Chambers Jr.
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Citation

S. Allen Chambers Jr., "Indian Creek Covered Bridge", [Union, West Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-MO15.

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