Photos
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The east face Once known as the "Red Bridge," this structure was built in 1876 from timbers milled in Baraboo, Wisconsin and hauled to this location for assembly. A center pier was added in 1927 to support the weight of automobiles. In 1940, the Ozaukee County Board voted to forever preserve this bridge. It is the last historic covered bridge extant in Wisconsin. (A replica covered bridge, the Springwater Volunteer Bridge was built in Waushara County in 1997.) Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The north portal The bridge was bypassed in 1961 and closed to all but pedestrians in 1962. It is the crown jewel in Covered Bridge County park, to the east. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The inside truss view Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The deck The deck is wood while some old asphalt paving still exists. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The state historical marker The DAR declared this a historic site in 1955, predating the Ozaukee Historical Society by five years. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The south portal Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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Oblique view Looking southwest from Covered Bridge Park. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The north abutment Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The undercarriage It appears that some repairs have been performed with pressure treated lumber. This center pier was added in 1927 to support the added weight of automobile traffic. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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Graffiti The entire inside of the structure is covered with graffiti from several decades. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The west side As seen from the replacement bridge. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The north approach Note how the original alignment of Covered Bridge Road curves slightly to the west to cross the replacement bridge. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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The south approach Prof. Kevin Patrick, of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, says that when a straight road curves slightly, crosses a bridge, then gently curves back to the original alignment, the bridge is a replacement that was built next to its predecessor. That is obvious here, except that the original bridge is extant here. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2007 |
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Photo taken by Historic American Buildings Survey |
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Photo taken by Historic American Buildings Survey |
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Overview, looking southeast Photo taken by J.R. Manning in April 2009 |
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Daughters of the American Revolution Plaque This plaque is mounted above the south portal. Since it faces the noon sun, it has weathered significantly since its placement in 1955. As a result, most visitors don't even see it. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in April 2009 |
Facts
- Overview
- Lattice through truss bridge over Cedar Creek on Covered Bridge Road
- Location
- Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Open to pedestrians
- History
- Built 1876, Center Pier Added 1927, Declared Historic 1940, Bypassed 1962
- Design
- Lattice through truss
- Dimensions
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Length of largest span: 120.0 ft.
Total length: 120.0 ft.
Deck width: 12.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Red Bridge
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +43.33775, -88.00485 (decimal degrees)
43°20'16" N, 88°00'17" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/418546/4798812 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Five Corners
- Inventory numbers
- NRHP 73000092 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 36229 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- April 18, 2009: New photo from J.R. Manning
- April 10, 2009: New photo from J.R. Manning
- August 8, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Updated NRHP Listing
- August 6, 2008: New photos from J.R. Manning
- February 8, 2008: Added by J.R. Manning
Sources
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Covered Spans of Yesteryear - Old photos of the bridge
- HABS WI-28-12 - Covered Bridge, Spanning Cedar Creek Vicinity, Cedarburg vicinity, Ozaukee County, WI
