Huffman Covered Bridge, Middleburg Ohio
The Huffman Bridge was built in 1914 to replace another bridge on the same site that washed out in the 1913 flood. For many years, this was the only road in this township. It was the road from Marietta to Barnesville, via Carlisle, Middleburg and Salem. The road later became SR 564 and in 1928 or 1929, it was relocated, by-passing the Huffman Bridge. The 1876 Noble County Atlas shows that a William Neptune owned the land where the covered bridge is located, and it later became the property of Christian Huffman, an early settler in this area who came here from Germany. Both the Neptune and Huffman families owned much land in Jefferson Township and it was from this pioneer Huffman Family that the covered bridge takes its name.
The Huffmans farmed the fertile valley of the Middle Fork of Duck Creek and used the rather steep hillsides for raising sheep. It is said that an old Huffman Cemetery is located somewhere on the hillside overlooking the creek and it is the burial place of some of the pioneer Huffmans.
Today, most of this area of Noble County is being strip-mined and the appearance of the land is changing. The Huffman Bridge still stands as a reminder of the days when Noble County was largely agricultural and the covered bridge was a very important part of its transportation system. The Huffman Bridge is also one of the few covered bridges remaining in Noble County out of over one hundred that once spanned its small streams.
Bridge Description
The Huffman Bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning the Middle Fork of Duck Creek in Jefferson Township section 36, Noble County, Ohio. This bridge has vertical high-boarded siding, a metal roof, stone abutments, and projected portals.
This covered bridge is known as the Huffman Bridge and it is built on the very popular multiple kingpost truss plan. The kingpost was one of the earliest known bridge trusses. It is in the form of a triangle with a center post, called the kingpost. The kingpost is the tension member and the diagonals are the compression members. This truss type was easily built by the farmer-carpenter-builders who built so many of Ohio's covered bridges. As far as we know, all of Noble County's covered bridges were multiple kingposts. The Huffman Bridge is a 5 panel multiple kingpost built of native white oak. It is 58"7" long, and 118" wide.
The appearance of the Huffman Bridge is quite attractive. Mr. Huffman keeps it painted a deep barn red with the metal roof painted green. The overall condition of the bridge is good as it has never carried much traffic.
East side of bridge, north portal (1974)
