Bridgehunter.com | Earnest Covered Bridge

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Earnest Covered Bridge

from the southwest

Photo taken by Michael Goff on July 19, 2009

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Street View

Description

The Earnest Bridge enjoys the distinction of having appeared in the movie Shenandoah, filmed in the Mohawk Valley during the mid-1960s. The movie company requested permission from the county to "alter" the bridge to reflect Civil War architecture, and promised to restore the bridge to equal or better condition. The promise was kept, and the span received new siding and paint in 1965.

The original covered bridge at this site, an 83 foot structure called the Adams Bridge, was erected by A.C.Striker in 1903. When it was replaced in 1938 by Lane County, the $2,449 cost included $72 for wrecking the old bridge.

The new bridge with upper chord dimensions of 12" x 12" x 50 feet and lower dimensions of 12" x 14" x 81.5 feet, was named after longtime residents of the area.

(Reference: Roofs Over Rivers, by Bill and Nick Cockrell)

Facts

Overview: Covered Howe through truss bridge over Mohawk River on Paschelke Road
Location: Lane County, Oregon
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1938
Builder: - A.C. Striker (County Bridge Superintendent)
Design: Covered Howe through truss
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 75.1 ft.
Total length: 137.1 ft.
Deck width: 15.4 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 13.9 ft.
Recognition: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Also called: Paschelke Road Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +44.20111, -122.83583 (decimal degrees)
44°12'04" N, 122°50'09" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/513117/4894223 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Marcola
Inventory numbers: WGCB 37-20-35 (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)
NRHP 79002094 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
ORNBI 39C176198000004 (Oregon bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 30049 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 08/2010): Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 43.3 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2010): 159

Update Log

April 21, 2010: New Street View added by Michael Goff
July 20, 2009: New photos from Michael Goff

Sources

Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon - Dwight A. Smith, James B. Norman & Pieter T. Dykman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989
Earnest Covered Bridge - Oregon Covered Bridge Guide
Dale Travis Covered Bridge List