Covered Bridges Have Been Around Since Ancient Times.In Babylon, Some 780 Years Before The Birth Of Christ,people Have Used The Practicality Of Covered Bridgesin Their Lives By Using Roofs And Ceilings To Protectimportant Bridges From The Deteriorating Effects Ofthe Weather. They Also Served A Militaristic Purposeas Covered Bridges Are Good Spots To Defend A Palacefrom Invading Forces Because Stone Walls And Ceilingswere Obviously Perfect In Stopping Arrows And Spears.America Came To Love This Style Of Building Bridgessince The Early Nineteenth Century When Theodore Burrbuilt The First One In New York. People Werefascinated By The Practicality And Durability Thesebridges Offer. Two More Were Built In Oregon After Thefirst One But Unfortunately Floods Destroyed Them Ayear After They Were Built. That Did Not Deter Therest Of America From Adapting The Style However, Asthe Succeeding Years Since That Time Saw The Buildingof Thousands All Over America Which Ushered The Era Ofthe Covered Bridges.Covered Bridges Were The Best And Most Practicalsolution In Connecting Towns And Villages Growing Onboth Sides Of A River. Ferries Were The Norm Beforebridges Became Common But They Were Not Good For Adeveloping Economy. Owners Of Ferries Could Chargewhatever They Want Because They Had The Monopoly Intransportation. This Led To A Growing Demand Fromlocal Townspeople To Build Bridges.The Local Governments At The Time, Seeing Theimportance Of Bridges, Then Started To Put Theconstruction As Their Top Priority. Putting On Roofsand Walls Made To Protect The Bridges Was Seen Asprotecting The Taxpayers Investment Since Coveredbridges Lasted Up To Three Times Longer Than Ordinary,exposed Ones.They Also Serve A Myriad Of Purposes, From Providingtemporary Shelters For Travelers Stuck Because Of Badweather To A Rendezvous Point For Secret Lovers. Nomatter What The Purpose, The Rest Of The Country Fellin Love With Covered Bridges That The Ones Left Noware Protected By Law And Seen As Historic Pieces Worthpreserving.There Were At Least 12,000 Covered Bridges All OverAmerica At One Time And There Were Around 3,500 Ofthem Found In Ohio. However These Days, Because Ofrapid Commercialization, The Availability Of Newconstruction Materials, And The Durability Ofcement-made Bridges, Wooden Covered Bridges Are Slowlydisappearing And Have Become Very Hard To Find. Someof The Historic Covered Bridges Were Moved To Privateestates And Parks, While Others Could No Longer Befound. Vandalism And Arson Have Also Played A Role Inthe Destruction Of Covered Bridges In Ohio Where Atleast 10 Were Destroyed In The Last 20 Years.However These Days Great Effort Has Been Made Inprotecting And Preserving These Bridges. In FairfieldCounty, One Can Still See A Covered Bridge Built In1883. Though It Was Moved And Partially Reconstructed,the Same Materials And Styles Were Used To Preserveits Historical Integrity. College Campuses, Privatelands, Fairgrounds, Public Parks, And Government-ownedlands Are A Few Places Where You Can Still Find A Fewof These Bridges Still Being Used.Covered Bridges In Ohio Are Treated As Public Propertyand Therefore Maintained And Protected Using Publicfunds. Form 3500, Only Over A Hundred Covered Bridgesare Left In Ohio Where People Are Now Taking On Thefight To Preserve Them. Ohioans Has Enjoyed Andbenefited From Covered Bridges Since They Were Firstmade, And Now The Great-grand Children Of The Stateare Doing The Best They Can To Stop The Slowdisappearance Of These Historic Landmarks That Hashelped Shape The Economy And History Of America.
