Martinsville Road Covered Bridge, Martinsville Ohio
The Martinsville Road Covered Bridge takes its name from the nearby village of Martinsville. This old bridge was built in 1871 by Zimri Wall. It is unfortunate that the costs and other information on the building of this bridge are missing from county records, In 1872, Zimri Wall, his brother Jonathan and Albert Bailey formed the Champion Bridge Company of Wilmington, Ohio. The Champion Bridge Company is one of the nation's oldest bridge-building companies still in business today. The Champion Bridge Company considers the Martinsville Road Bridge to be their oldest bridge still in existence today. In addition, this covered bridge is the last such structure wholly within Clinton County.
The Martinsville Road Bridge is an excellent example of the multiple kingpost truss type of construction so popular in early Ohio. This bridge is a source of pride to the residents of the county.
Bridge Description
The Martinsville Road Covered Bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning the east fork of Todd's Fork one mile west of Martinsville, in Clark Township, Clinton County, Ohio. The siding is vertical, the roof is metal, the portals are straight and the abutments were originally stone. The east abutment is now concrete and the west is faced with concrete.
The Martinsville Road Covered Bridge is an outstanding example of the multiple kingpost. The kingpost was one of the earliest wooden bridge trusses and the multiple kingpost was a natural outgrowth of the simple kingpost. The kingpost is a triangle and with the addition of the center of king post the diagonals become the compression members and the kingpost is the tension member. This basic triangular kingpost truss was extremely popular with Ohio bridge builders. The Martinsville Road Bridge is a 7-panel multiple kingpost. It is 78' long overall with a 68' 7" clear span. It is 15'3" wide overall with a 13'6" roadway and an 11'8" clearance. The floor is 2" wooden planks laid crosswise with raised runners from portal to portal. In 1937, steel was added to the floor system, and steel gussets were added to the apex of each truss panel, adding strength to the trusses.
The Martinsville Road Covered Bridge is in excellent condition. It is painted a pleasing dark red with white trim on the portals. The siding is finished with battens. In 1970, the east abutment was completely rebuilt of concrete.
West portal, north side of the bridge, looking southeast (1974)
East portal, south side of bridge looking northwest (1974)
