Reed Covered Bridge, Marysville Ohio
Reuban Partridge made his home in Marysville, the county seat of Union County and was quite well-known there. He built covered bridges in Delaware, Franklin and Union Counties and at one time was an officer in the Columbus Bridge Company. Mr. Partridge has the unhappy distinction of being the only Ohio covered bridge builder that we know of to give his life to his profession. He fell through the timbers of a bridge under construction in 1900 and was fatally injured. He was 77 years old at the time and still active as a builder. Only 6 Partridge truss bridges are left, 5 in Union County and one in Franklin County, Ohio. The 5 in Union County were undoubtedly built by Reuban Partridge himself.
The Reed Bridge was probably built in the 1870's although the exact date is unknown. The name Reed comes from the many Reed families that once lived in that neighborhood. About 1931, the State Highway Department took over this road and assumed control of the covered bridge. In 1963, the State rerouted SR 38, by-passing the Reed Bridge which reverted to the county. The county commissioners and the county historical society maintain the old bridge which is closed to traffic, but open to all who want to come and enjoy this reminder of bygone days. This sturdy old landmark is a fitting monument to kindly old Reuban Partridge who built so many covered bridges in central Ohio.
Bridge Description
The Reed Bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning Big Darby Creek 3½ miles south of Marysville in Darby Township, Union County, Ohio. This bridge has vertical siding, low-boarded, with roofed windows running the length of the span on both sides. The roof is metal, the portals are slightly projected, and the abutments are stone.
This bridge is built on the Partridge truss plan patented in 1872 by Reuban Partridge of Marysville, Ohio.
The Partridge truss-as described by Reuban Partridge in his Letters Patent June 11, 1872, is briefly as follows: upper and lower chords in 2 sections, the ties or posts are securely bolted to the chords and stand at an angle of 60 with the horizontal plane. The main braces are arranged in pairs and stand at an angle of 45 with the horizontal plane. The 2 braces of each end are parallel with each other and pass upon opposite sides of the posts and are bolted in the middle to the middle of the posts. The ends of the braces rest against iron footpieces which are interposed between the ends of the braces and the posts and the chords. These footpieces may be omitted and the ends of the braces sprung together and bolted so their ends rest against the posts and chords, Mr. Partridge claimed as new his angling of the braces and posts, the chords in 2 sections, and the bifurcated iron footpieces.
In all the Partridge trusses standing today, the braces are double and the counterbraces are triple. In the 5 Union County Partridge truss covered bridges, 1" steel rods have been added from upper to lower chord between each truss panel. The trusses of the Reed Bridge are 15' high and there are 14 panels at 10'10" and 2 panels at 1'2". The upper and lower chords and all truss diagonals are pine, while the end posts and the one vertical in the center of the bridge are oak. The floor and floor beams are oak. The bridge is 154" in length overall with a clear span of 150. The overall width is 20'3" with a roadway width of 16'2".
The Reed Bridge is in generally good condition with some siding missing due to vandalism. The roofed windows are probably not an original feature of the bridge, but were undoubtedly cut out later to improve vision with the advent of the automobile. The Reed Bridge is unpainted except for white paint on the portals.
North portal, east side, looking southwest (1974)
West trusses of bridge, looking toward north portal (1974)
