Foreaker Covered Bridge, Graysville Ohio
This covered bridge is known by two different names, Weddle or Foreaker, depending on the age of the person interviewed, The Foreaker Family owned the land on the south end of the bridge at the time the bridge was built and people who have lived in this area for many years still call it the Foreaker Bridge. In 1925, the Weddle Family bought the Foreaker Farm and and so many people now refer to the bridge as the Weddle Bridge. This oft-repaired old structure is located in what is known as the Switzerland of Ohio. The area is so-called because of the many steep hills and also because some of its earliest settlers were Swiss. These people brought with them the fine art of watch and clock making and they also produced fine cheeses.
This covered bridge is one of only two remaining today in Monroe County. The builder of the bridge is unknown, but we do know that the stonework was done by Isaiah Cline, a stonemason. The trusses are of native white oak. The truss plan is the popular multiple kingpost, once so common here in Ohio. According to some sources, the bridge was erected in 1886/87.
Bridge Description
The bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning the Little Muskingum River in Perry Township section 28, three miles east of Graysville on county road 40 in Monroe County, Ohio. This bridge has vertical, high-boarded siding, a metal roof, cut stone abutments and straight portals.
This is known as the Foreaker or Weddle Bridge and is built on the once-common multiple kingpost truss plan. The kingpost is the oldest known bridge truss and employs the triangular form that has been the basis for the development of many more sophisticated bridge trusses. In the basic kingpost truss, the diagonals form the compression members, and the verticals, or kingposts, are the tension members. This was an easy truss for the many farmer-carpenter-builders of early Ohio to build and most of Ohio's early wooden bridges used the kingpost truss. It was by far the most common of all the many bridge trusses ever used in Ohio's wooden covered bridges.
The Foreaker Bridge is a 12 panel multiple kingpost built of native white oak. The bridge measures 98' 8" truss' length, with an overall length of 103' 8". The roadway width is 12'1", and the overall width is 14' 1", The height of the trusses is 11" 10" and the overhead clearance is 11' 6", In 1938, L.S. Bower of Flemingsburg, Ky. reinforced this bridge with diagonal steel rods from the top chord to the bottom of the lower chord and reinforced the lower chords with horizontal steel rods from panel point to panel point. Mr. Bower reinforced the floor system with additional floor beams and stringers.
The county has heavily reinforced this bridge with steel I beams underneath. A large section of the roof on the north end of the bridge was blown off in a wind-storm in 1971 and this was replaced with new sheet metal roofing.
The Foreaker Bridge is in fairly good condition and as is noted above, has received many repairs and reinforcements over the years. The bridge has never been painted. The abutments have been reinforced with concrete.
North portal, east side, looking southwest (1974)
East side, north portal, looking west-southwest (1974)
