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Barrackville Covered Bridge

Marion County, West Virginia
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Photos 

State historical marker

One can discern from the text that the marker was placed before the bridge was bypassed and retired. A temporary bypass bridge was built 1987 and the permanent bypass bridge was constructed in 1991.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

Map 

Facts 

Overview
Burr arch-truss bridge over Buffalo Creek
Location
Barrackville, Marion County, West Virginia
Status
Open to pedestrians
History
Built in 1853 by Eli & Lemuel Chenoweth; Bypassed 1987
Builders
- Eli Chenoweth
- Lemuel Chenoweth
Design
"The Barrackville Covered Bridge is a single-span modified Burr arch truss wooden covered bridge on a drylaid sandstone abutment. The total length of the truss is 146'-3" with a clear span length of 131'-8". The truss is 11'-8" high center-to-center of the chords and 17'-11" wide center-to-center of the trusses, with a roadway width of 15'-6". Clapboard siding covers the exterior, and standing-seam metal roofing covers the gable roof.

"The bridge is poplar and oak framed in the manner patented by Theodore Burr in 1817. The principal structural components are a pair of hewn timber segmented arches framed into and around a pair of multiple kingpost trusses to create an indeterminate composite timber structure.

"Built as part of Virginia's network of turnpikes linking the Tidewater to the Trans-Allegheny regions, this example of the Burr truss demonstrates the high level of craftsmanship and knowledge of contemporary engineering design that went into many covered bridges."

-- Dennis M. Zembala, Historical American Engineering Record, 1995

Dimensions
Length of largest span: 132.0 ft.
Total length: 146.0 ft.
Deck width: 15.5 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 11.8 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1973
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.50598, -80.16793   (decimal degrees)
39°30'22" N, 80°10'05" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/571535/4373258 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Grant Town
Inventory numbers
NRHP 73001921 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 36243 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (3,999)
Barrackville, West Virginia (1)
Built 1853 (22)
Built during 1850s (217)
Burr arch-truss (229)
Covered (944)
Eli Chenoweth (1)
Lemuel Chenoweth (2)
Marion County, West Virginia (36)
 NR-listed (2,384)
Open to pedestrians (2,173)
Owned by state (10,153)
Span length 125-175 feet (3,040)
Through truss (9,587)
Total length 125-175 feet (4,250)
Truss (24,155)
West Virginia (1,051)

Update Log 

  • December 3, 2011: Updated by Tony Dillon: Fixed stream name as this is over Buffalo Creek and not Finch's Run
  • March 9, 2010: New photo from Robert Stephenson
  • August 9, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
  • August 1, 2008: New photos from J.R. Manning
  • February 10, 2008: Added by J.R. Manning

Sources 

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Comments 

Barrackville Covered Bridge
Posted March 27, 2012, by Ranea Seremetis (seremetis628 [at] comcast [dot] net)

BRIDGEHUNTER, i"m 44 years old and i grew up in the house beside of the BARRACKVILLE COVERED BRIDGE. It was and is the most beautiful bridge I've ever seen. I have beautiful pictures of it. As kids my sister and I played in it. We even camped underneath it. It was the safest place in the world to us. To me the bridge is like home. A laundrymat used to be beside it. We would go there and get a cream soda and sit on the large stones that are in front of the bridge. We would sit there and watch the cars go by. Barracville, what a wonderful home it was.Just wanted you to know how much I enjoy the Barrackville Covered Bridge. Thanks!