Arches are strong. A truss holds both vertical and horizontal.
Combine the two building methods into one structure and you end up with a covered bridge which served for ninety-plus years.
Union Covered Bridge, one of Missouri’s four remaining covered bridges, was opened to traffic in 1871 and continued in service until into the 1960’s.
Stone piers at either end of the bridge supported the truss system. An arch of oak timbers also abutted the piers closer to the bottom and gave the entire bridge additional strength.
I wonder who crossed the bridge first. A buggy carrying the builder? The mayor of the nearest town? A farm wagon with sacks of grain on the way to the mill?
The final crossing was a dump truck of gravel. It was all a little much for the aged floor (no matter the roof had protected the deck from decades of weather damage).
The structure is maintained by Missouri’s state park system. Take a drive in the country and enjoy a visit. Walk across. Admire the construction. Imagine the people, animals, and vehicles which crossed during those years of active service.
Clapboard siding and wood-shingled roof are features photographers of all sorts capture. Including fictional ones such as our heroine in Morning Tryst, a later-in-life romance. More than history and scenery is to be found if you keep an open mind — and heart. Follow the link for complete book blurb: https://amzn.to/35gH37S
