Burfordville Covered Bridge
Photos
Overview
This is probably one of the most photographed sites in Southeast Missouri
Photo taken by James Baughn
BH Photo #104423
Timeline
Compiled by James Baughn
- 1858
- Constructed started by Joseph Lansman
- ca. 1867
- Bridge completed
- 1908
- Contractor paid $390 by the county to make extensive repairs
- 1932
- Made obsolete by new bridges on MO 34
- 1950
- Another set of extensive repairs made
- May 19, 1970
- Officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- 1971
- Roof destroyed by high winds and replaced with wood shingles
- 1984
- Repairs made to keep the bridge from collapsing after dry rot was discovered
- 1998
- Bridge reconstructed with new lower chords and iron tension rods
Facts
- Overview
- Covered bridge over Whitewater River at Bollinger Mill Historic Site in Burfordville
- Location
- Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
- Status
- Open to pedestrians only, except during special events
- Future prospects
- Preserved as part of a state historic site
- History
- Construction started 1858 by Joseph Lansman, but not completed until ca. 1867
- Design
- 14-panel covered Howe through truss with wooden diagonals and iron verticals
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 129.9 ft.
Total length: 140.1 ft.
Deck width: 11.8 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 12.7 ft.
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1970
- Also called
- Bollinger Mill Bridge
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.36835, -89.80245 (decimal degrees)
37°22'06" N, 89°48'09" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/251831/4139420 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Burfordville
- Land survey
- Survey No. 308 (T. 31 N., R. 11 E.)
- Inventory numbers
- WGCB 25-16-01 (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)
NRHP 70000325 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 21084 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- September 6, 2021: New photo from Patrick Gurwell
- June 28, 2019: New photo from Joe Sonderman
- April 8, 2014: HAER photos posted by Dave King
- February 27, 2014: New photos from Jack Schmidt
- March 28, 2013: New photos from John Christeson
- August 20, 2011: New photos from Ben Tate
- November 26, 2010: New photo from James Baughn
- November 12, 2010: New photos from John Christeson
- March 16, 2009: New photo from Joe Virruso
Sources
- "Missouri's Covered Bridges" - Article by Dorothy Caldwell in the Jan. 1967 issue of Missouri Historical Review (Vol. LXI, No. 2)
- Joe Virruso - virrusofamily [at] att [dot] net
- John Christeson - john_christeson [at] yahoo [dot] com
- James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
- Ben Tate - benji5221 [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Dale Travis Covered Bridge List
- Joe Sonderman
- Jack Schmidt - jjturtle [at] earthlink [dot] net
- HABS MO-1307 - Bollinger Covered Bridge & Mill, Burfordville, Cape Girardeau County, MO
- Patrick Gurwell - pgurwell [at] gmail [dot] com
Comments
I saw this bridge back in 1979 when I visited cousins in MO. Since then I've only seen one other in New Hampshire. I live in California and I doubt we have any in this state. I'm glad to see that it and the mill are still standing. I will have to share this picture with my brother who was with me on that trip.
i grew up just 3 miles from this bridge and even went to school my 5th and 6th grade years at Burfordville School. I remember hauling hay as a kid from the hayfield just past the covered bridge, which was my great uncle joe's property. We brought some pretty good loads of hay across that bridge and all of our equipment as well. that was when the bridge was open for all traffic. i then got married in the yard beside of the old mill with the view of the covered bridge in the background. That place has a lot of memories for me and they all make me smile!
i love covered bridges...
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/mo/cape/burfordville/
Wow! Talk about memories. I actually grew up about 2 miles ftom the covered bridge towards Scopus direction. We used to jump from the top of the bridge into the water. We would also stand behind the dam's waterfall and walk the length of the bridge. We would hike up to the cemetery and just have a great time! I attended 5th and 6th grades in the middle 80's there in Burfordville. The fake owls in the top of the bridge were always creepy to me. Glad it's still standing!!