Covered Garden Bridges Cross
Over to 21st Century
“TFCSOTSPBWL OCTOBER XVIII MDCCC.”
This curious inscription was
carved by a stonemason, John Lewis, into a block of granite that he
had lain as a support for a bridge that was being built by Timothy
Palmer. Because of space restrictions, he simply used initials,
instead of writing,
“The first corner stone of the Schuylkill
Permanent Bridge was lain on October 18, 1800.” When the bridge was
nearly finished, in 1804, a Philadelphia judge, Richard Peters,
suggested that, in order to preserve its trusses and extend its
life, the bridge should be covered.
The cover was designed and
built, and the first covered bridge opened for travel on January 1,
1805.Judge Peters had no way of knowing what he was starting. His
simple idea for covering that bridge led to a wellspring of
folklore, legend, myth, and mystique, that would turn the reasoning
behind it as murky as the waters surrounding its original
cornerstone, which, it is believed, still supports what is now known
as the Market Street Bridge.
The speculations were numerous and
humorous. Some people thought that covered bridges were intended to
look like barns, to make animals feel more comfortable while
crossing them. Others maintained that the covers were there to keep
horses from being frightened by the rushing water beneath them.
It
was also said that covered bridges were designed to keep travellers
from seeing what kind of town they were approaching, until it was
too late to turn back.
Although many people said that the coverings
were meant to keep snow off the bridges, old toll signs that
designate fares for horse-drawn sleighs contradict that notion.
Covering bridges also enabled them to be used for scores of
purposes, other than getting to the other side of a stream. They
were used for campaign rallies, religious services, family reunions,
meetings, weddings, debates, shelter from a storm, fishing and
diving platforms, and even hanging clothes to dry during inclement
weather. Favorite places for couples to steal a few kisses, covered
bridges were commonly called “kissing bridges.”
They were also
sometimes referred to as “wishing bridges” because it was believed
that any wish a person made while passing through one would come true. The most powerful effects of the decision to cover that first
bridge, however, are intangible.
Even for those who know none of the
specific details of their history, covered bridges evoke nostalgia
and stir strong emotions. While their gradual disappearance from the
country’s landscape incites a growing passion to preserve them as
precious, irreplaceable landmarks.
Although it’s true that the
covered bridges that were built and used by our ancestors are
decreasing in number every year, a new era in covered bridges is
just dawning, at CedarStore.com. The best part is that these new
bridges, which are designed for your own creek, stream, or walkway,
have all of the charm of their predecessors, but, constructed from
your choice of treated pine or Dura-Temp siding, many times the
durability.
At CedarStore.com, you can customize your own gorgeous
covered garden bridge in three simple steps, choosing from a variety
of sizes, styles, materials, and accessories.
