Digging for Old
Covered Bridges
Betty Gallup pursues North Caro¬
lina's covered bridges down a nearly-
buried trail.
By YV. B.
North Carolina’s Number One cov¬
ered bridge fan is a transplanted Ver¬
monter whose self-designed letterhead,
illustrated by an appealing sketch of a
covered bridge, reads “Betty Gallup,
Covered Bridge Artist, Cary, N. C.”
When Mrs. Gallup came to North
Carolina and observed the dearth of
research that had been done on the
covered bridges of her adopted state,
she set out to fill the gap, bringing
to her task that special brand of gusto
and determination which marks the de¬
voted hobbyist.
Her first move was to join forces
with the Historical Society in Randolph
County, where two of North Caro¬
lina's four existing old covered bridges
are located. Then, last January she
started on a complete compilation of
the state's former covered bridges, list¬
ing and describing them by county,
making pen and ink drawings when
old photos or adequate descriptions
were to be found.
WRIGHT
Eventually she plans to publish a
book devoted to the North Carolina
bridges, illustrated by her drawings.
Tracking Them Down
So far she has located over 97
bridges in 26 counties; and there are
pictures of 70. Some of the long-
departed structures have been diffi¬
cult to learn about, and she has some¬
times spent many hours tracking down
an old-timer who remembers and can
describe a certain bridge.
But once on the trail she is hard to
discourage. When, in our office, we
mentioned a covered bridge vaguely
remembered from childhood, she was
off instantly in hot pursuit; and at last
report was closing fast.
In her search she has teamed with
some staunch Tar Heel allies, among
them the N. C. Historic Sites Com¬
mission. the Bridge Department of the
State Highway Commission, several
historical societies, and such inter¬
Betty Gollup, Covered Bridge Artist.
ested individuals as Hope Hubbard
and Charlesanna Fox of Asheboro,
Dave Coltrane and Roy Wilder of
Raleigh, and
Ё.
Frank Stephenson of
Murfreesboro, and many others.
She also has assistance and encour¬
agement from the National Society for
the Preservation of Covered Bridges
which, headquartered in Massachu¬
setts, maintains a continuous vigil over
the remaining covered bridges in the
country.
Some of die state associations have
also helped. In fact, the Connecticut
River Valley Covered Bridge Society,
in Greenfield, Mass., voted last spring
to send a donation to the Randolph
County Historical Society, in Ashe¬
boro, N. C., to help in the upkeep of
the two bridges in that county.
North Carolina Compared
As is obvious, North Carolina lags
far behind in covered bridge preserva¬
tion. Many states still claim the
covered spans, and a few of them —
even in this modern age — have well
over a hundred. Pennsylvania sits
solidly at the top with 247, almost all
in good condition • — neat, well-painted
and still in daily use. Many of them
are located in the Pennsylvania Dutch
countryside, and still preside over the
horse and buggy trade.
Ohio is a progressive second, with
approximately 200, and has two cov¬
ered bridge societies in the state. In¬
diana has about 130. Vermont, where
Betty Gallup started painting bridges
twenty years ago — and which is of¬
ten known as the “Covered Bridge
State” — comes next after Indiana,
with just over 100 of the old bridges.
Surprisingly, two of North Caro¬
lina’s sister states have more than a
( Continued on page 28)
THE STATE, SEPTEMBER 7, 196 S
Roscoe Mill Bridge, located in Bertie County, is one of North Coroiino's four remaining bridges, ond
one which has gone almost unnoticed. Locoted on private property, it is actually a combination grist
mill and covered bridge. It is 200 yeors old, ond is the last stonding bridge in Eastern North Carolina.
— (All illustrations by Betty Gallup.)
В
