Helmick Mill Covered Bridge, Malta Ohio
Of the 3,850 identified timber truss canal, railroad and vehicular bridges known to have been built in Ohio, less than 4 percent, or 135 bridges are extant, and of these only 61 are still in service. The Helmick Covered Bridge, one of five covered bridges remaining in Morgan County and one of only three on its original site, exemplifies the multiple kingpost truss covered bridge in Ohio. By far the most common of all wooden truss designs in Ohio, the multiple kingpost became known across the state as the Buckingham truss, so named after Catherinus Buckingham, bridge builder and Adjutant General of Ohio. His Y Bridge at Zanesville (1832) was so widely admired that the truss became known as a Buckingham in honor of its builder.
Many Ohio bridge contractors emulated Buckingham's design, including Samuel Price, the builder of the Helmick Covered Bridge. Little is known about Price other than the fact he did build bridges in nearby Washington County and he is listed in the 1870 Morgan County census as a 42-year-old "boss carpenter." The Helmick Covered Bridge is Price's only documented design still extant in Ohio.
Until the late 1940s, Morgan County had 15 covered bridges, but the construction of Burr Oak Lake and surface coal mining have taken a toll on all but four covered bridges. Three of these spans, the Barkhurst Mill Covered Bridge, Helmick Mill Covered Bridge, and Adams Covered Bridge remain on their original sites. One other span, the Wolf Creek Covered Bridge was moved from Rosseau to the Morgan County Fairgrounds in 1953. Another covered bridge was moved from nearby Noble County to Campsite D on Brannon's Fork.
During the first half of the 19th Century, several truss designs were employed on Ohio's timber truss bridges. A truss is the arrangement of timber beams and braces, usually triangular in layout, that forms a rigid framework to support its own weight plus the load of the outer shell and the weight of the travelers. The multiple kingpost consisted of a series of vertical posts and braces and was developed mainly to accommodate longer spans. Buckingham's Y Bridge at Zanesville (1832) was so widely admired that the truss design became euphemistically known as the Buckingham in honor of its builder.
The floods of 1913 and the need for wider bridges with greater load capacity prompted the change from wooden bridges to steel bridges. The Morgan County Commissioners' Journals list bidders' names for some covered bridges. The names include local carpenters as well as companies that worked in many states.
The name of the bridge was derived from the name of a sawmill run by a Mr. Joseph Helmick that was situated near the north abutment. Also, the 1875 Morgan County Atlas shows a grist mill near the south abutment. An entry in the December 5th, 1866 Commissioners' Journal states in part "Ordered that the Auditor Advertise for sealed proposals until the 28th day of December 1866 for the superstructure of a wooden bridge across Island Run near Helmick's Mill in Deerfield. Said bridge to be some 66 feet span to rest on stone abutments. The proposals must state the price per foot linear. Also for proposals for raising the stone abutments that are now there some 4 feet higher. The bids for the stonework must state the price per perch of 24.75 cubic feet." The last sentences imply that a previous bridge must have washed out and the commissioners wanted to make sure that a new bridge would be safe from future storm flows. A December 28th, 1866 entry reads "I propose to build and complete the bridge now advertised at Mr. Helmick's mill in Deerfield Township for the sum of seven dollars and ninety-nine cents per foot lineal. Also the stone work at five dollars per yard, all to be done according to the plan that I have presented to the Commissioners. (signed) Samuel Price". And on the same date, the Commissioners followed: "Ordered by Commissioners that the contract for building and completing both the wooden superstructure and stone work of the above mentioned bridge be awarded to Samuel Price as his bid was the lowest of the five given in."
An interesting event concerning Helmick's Mill is recorded in Robertson's History of Morgan County, Ohio, Page 232. It seems that on July 22nd, 1863 (four years prior to the construction of the existing bridge), during the Civil War, four of Morgan's Raiders were captured and held in "Helmick's Mill on Island Run."
With the advent of modern transportation and new roads, the Helmick's mill and nearby sawmill have both been erased from the area. What was once a busy milling center is now an isolated retreat for a few of the younger generation. This fine old Helmick Mill Covered Bridge, in an extremely beautiful setting, is a reminder of what life was like over 100 years ago in Morgan County, Ohio.
Bridge Description
The Helmick Mill Covered Bridge is a single-span wooden truss covered bridge that crosses over Island Run in Deerfield Township, Section 2, seven miles northwest of Malta on Township Road 269. The bridge is still open to traffic and carries about 40 vehicles per day across a very beautiful, rock bottomed, stream. The setting is enhanced by a waterfall just a few feet downstream of the bridge. Although in a very remote part of the county, about one-half mile to the nearest residence, many tourists and local residents visit the site each week for a welcome diversion from everyday life.
This bridge is known as the Helmick Mill or Island Run covered bridge and was built in 1867. It is a 9 panel, single span, multiple kingpost truss with vertical corrugated metal siding, projecting portals, cut sandstone abutments, and a corrugated metal roof. The span is a variation of the multiple kingpost truss, having an "X" brace in the center panel.
The overall length of the bridge is 74 feet with a truss length of 68'9". The roadway width is 12'6" and the overall width of the structure is 16'4 1/2". The existing corrugated metal siding and roofing has replaced siding and roofing that were originally probably wood. The floor system of horizontal planking is carried by floor beams beneath the bridge. The bridge floor is in one layer, with the planks laid at right angles to the trusses. Steel rods run down the face of each abutment (2 rods each) to anchor the ends of the trusses to the abutments. This is obviously to keep the bridge in place in times of high water.
Known alterations include steel supports, in mid-span, that were installed about 1965. The two downstream windows were installed in 1997.
View of the bridge site, looking northerly (1998)
View looking northerly into and thru the bridge (1998)
View looking southerly into and thru the bridge (1998)
View looking westerly at the side of the bridge (1998)
View looking easterly at the side of the bridge (1998)
