Burfordville Covered Bridge, Burfordville Missouri
The Burfordville Covered Bridge is one of only four surviving covered bridges in Missouri.
The Burfordville Covered Bridge spans the Whitewater River adjacent to the Bollinger Mill. Most of the covered bridges constructed in Missouri were built under the auspices of the county court. Although the bridge has the date 1858 carved into one of the stone abutments, careful checking of the county court records from 1850 through 1900 has failed to uncover any mention of the bridge. The bridge was probably constructed by a private road company that operated a toll road between Jackson and Burfordville, Missouri.
The contractor for the bridge followed the construction plans of William Howe of Massachusetts, who patented his bridge truss in 1840. Howe revised the popular kingpost truss, which was composed entirely of wood and consisted of an upright center post (kingpost) framed into a triangle by two diagonals and a bottom chord. Howe combined the use of wood and metal in his truss: wood for the diagonal braces, the upper and lower chords and the end posts; and iron rods for the kingposts. These vertical iron tension rods were secured to the upper and lower chords using nuts and washers. These could be tightened at any time to remove the saggings of old age. The Howe truss was employed more than any other bridge type because it was economical, simple to construct, and durable.
The covered bridge movement began in the eastern United States and migrated westward in the 1800s with the shifting frontier. Constructed almost entirely of wood using simple tools, these bridges proved very economical and practical in the forested areas of the United States. The bridges opened up easier lines of transportation and communication in states where streams and rivers were prevalent.
Pioneer builders covered the bridges with a roof and siding just as they covered their houses and barns. The roof protected the timber construction from extremes in temperature and kept the bridge floor free from the elements. Many bridges had a barn-like appearance to coax skittish horses and farm animals across rushing streams and rivers.
Thousands of covered bridges were built in the United States, mainly during the 1800s but floods, fire, vandalism, and age have destroyed the majority of them.
The Burfordville Covered Bridge is owned and maintained by the Missouri State Highway Commission. The other three surviving bridges are: Locust Creek Covered Bridge in Linn County, Union Covered Bridge in Monroe County, and Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in Jefferson County.
Bridge Description
The Burfordville covered bridge is located at the eastern edge of Burfordville on Route HH, a spur off highway No. 34. The bridge Spans the Whitewater River, supported entirely by two stone abutments. The bridge is 140' long and 16'6" wide, with an east-west orientation. Restoration was completed in 1950 by the Missouri State Highway Department.
The rectangular structure above the bridge floor was originally of yellow poplar. During restoration, original structural members were left intact. Replacement lumber of pressure-treated Douglas fir was used for siding, battens, joists, and approaches. The original roofing material of the ridge roof has been replaced with corrugated galvanized metal.
At either end of the bridge are spacious portals. The floor of the bridge projects beyond the housing structure to form a short uncovered bridge spanning a depression between the abutment and the road. Wooden guard railings are on either side of the approach.
Inside the bridge there are no enclosures, and diagonal cross timbers and vertical iron bars, characteristic of Howe truss construction are visible. The structural technique of dovetailing and mortising renders the bridge self-supporting. The trusses are held in the vertical position by cross-bracing overhead.
View from the southwest to the northeast. Detail of diagonal cross timbers and vertical iron bars (1970)
View from the south to the north (1970)
View from the northeast to the southwest showing approach and east portal. The bridge floor projects beyond the housing structure to form a short uncovered bridge spanning a depression between the abutment and the road. Wooden guard railings are on either side of the approach (1970)
