McBride Covered Bridge, Winterset, Madison County Iowa
The McBride Covered Bridge was one of two in the Winterset region built by J.P. Clark. It was one of the oldest covered bridges in the area.
On October 8th 1983, just hours before Madison County's annual Covered Bridge Festival was to begin, a fire, arson, completely destroyed the bridge.
Bridge Description
McBride Covered Bridge has a span of 70 feet; including approaches, 125 feet; width of 14 feet with a flat-top, tarred metal-covered roof. This bridge is constructed in the Town lattice style, a crisscross web of planks on each side, with additional diagonal-horizontal support, held together with metal bolts. The basic structure is of native lumber, including plank flooring, shaped to fit its purpose. Each end of the slightly arched bridge rests on steel tube pilings. The outside cover is regular six-inch boards painted red and trimmed with white.
The bridge retains its original appearance. It was built to span the North Branch of the North River, approximately ten miles northeast of Winterset, Town. In 1966, with the rebuilding of the county road, the bridge was bypassed, but still crosses the old river channel. A new cement and steel bridge crosses in its place to the north and east, over a new straightened river channel. The old road provides an approach to and through the bridge.
The general setting is a broad river valley, with wooded hills to the north and south.
