The Meherrin River Bridge wos locoted in Hertford County, ond wos
о
combinotion covered bridge and drowbridge. Built by M. E. Worrell, the bridge
feotured Queenpost truss construction, hod
о
fotol length of 1,005 feet; covered spon 68 feet, 8 inches. It wos situated on Route 485, north of Mur-
freesboro. Mrs. Gallup's view shows the bridge obout 1924.
The Bridges Had
A Colorful Career,
Gone But Not (Quite) Forgotten
Possibly the most neglected histori¬
cal structures in North Carolina are
the old covered bridges. Out of more
than 100 of these roofed spans, the
count has dwindled to three former
county road bridges and one almost
unnoticed combination covered bridge-
grist mill.
Where did they all go? Most went
quietly during the highway rebuilding
program, victims of traffic demands.
Some went with a wrenching, tearing
roar during periods of high water and
turbulence, and a few fell to their
deaths in a hiss of smoke and black¬
ened timbers, sparks flying high from
By BETTY GAYjIAJP
the dry wood. Possibly, had public
awareness been greater, a larger num¬
ber might have been saved, especially
those that were by-passed and were
on back-country roads.
Durable
The life of a covered bridge was
often 100 years or more; many times
it was built to serve a nearby mill as
well as a community, and its days
and years were filled with humor,
pathos, and romance as well as prac¬
ticality. Occasionally, one of the
bridges would go for a ride down¬
stream during a flood, and sturdy as
a ship, remain in one piece. Instead
of calling the bridge a loss, it would be
rescued and replaced on its piers to
serve many more years.
One of the bridges still standing —
Skeen’s Mill in Randolph County, was
the victim of a storm many years ago
and toppled into the Uwharric River.
A local bridge builder, Hezekiah An¬
drews, was called on to restore the
bridge, and he hauled it back and at¬
tached three steel cables to the sides
to hold it steady, which, though they
are now buried deep in the support¬
ing trees, are still doing the job.
In the same county, a bridge over
THE STATE, September l, 1968
9
