Church Hill Road Covered Bridge, Elkton Ohio
Columbiana County, Ohio once had nearly 100 covered bridges and most of them were rather small, in the 25' to 60' length range. The Church Hill Road Bridge is the smallest at 19' 3" clear span and is undoubtedly one of the shortest covered bridges ever built for public highway use in the United States. The Church Hill Road Bridge is also quite interesting because it is one of only two simple kingpost trusses left here in Ohio.
In 1962, Columbiana County bypassed this bridge, and a small rural park was established around it. An Ohio Historic Site marker was dedicated at this bridge in June 1963, sponsored by the Northern Ohio Covered Bridge Society, the Ohio Historic Markers Committee, the Ohio Covered Bridge Committee and the Commissioners of Columbiana County.
The exact building date of the Church Hill Road Bridge is unknown, but it is believed to have been built in the 1870s. Therefore, it served the public well for about 90 years.
The Church Hill Road Covered Bridge was relocated in the summer of 1982 and rededicated in October 1982. It was placed across the bed of the Sandy and Beaver Canal and the original stones were reused for the new abutments. The bridge was slightly shorter than the lens of the canal requiring some fill to be placed in the canal bed to allow for approaches to the floor of the bridge. The listed structure includes only the bridge and abutments with an area measuring approximately 5' to north and south of the rear corners of each wing wall of the abutments.
Bridge Description
The Church Hill Road Bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning Middle Run in Elk Township section 8, Columbiana County, Ohio, three miles east northeast of Lisbon. This old span has vertical, high-boarded siding, a shingle roof, straight portals and cut stone abutments, This covered bridge is known as the Church Hill Road Bridge and is the shortest covered bridge in the United States still standing on a once-used public road.
The Church Hill Road Bridge is a simple kingpost truss, meaning that there is only one truss on each side of the bridge. A kingpost is simply a triangle in which the diagonal braces are the compression members and the center post, or kingpost, is the tension member.
The kingpost can perhaps be called the earliest form of bridge truss as its beginnings go far back in time. The kingpost has also been the basis for more complex and sophisticated bridge trusses. The Church Hill Road Bridge is 19' 3" clear span with an overall length of 22' and a roadway width of 12' 6". The clearance is 10' 6". The portals are straight and slightly rounded at the top. The flooring is laid lengthwise.
There are barriers set up from end post to end post across each end of the bridge to prevent its use by vehicular traffic.
View of bridge from north looking southwest after move (1983)
Prior to move (1979)
West portal, south side, looking northeast (1974)
