Bennett Schoolhouse Road Covered Bridge, Minford Ohio
The Bennett School House Covered Bridge, also known as Tuttleville Bridge, is one of the very few double multiple king post trusses remaining in Ohio.
Built at Harrison's Mill in the Tuttleville community, it was an important east-west link in the transportation between South Webster and Minford, Ohio, and a north-south link between northeastern Scioto County and the town of Portsmouth.
It is one of two remaining such structures in Scioto County. Its builder, Van Buren Farney, was born on February 21st, 1836, near Charleston (West) Virginia. He moved to Sciotoville, Scioto County, Ohio with his parents at the age of four. He had a common school education. He was employed at the age of seventeen by Robert S. Wynn, a prominent area contractor of public works. At the age of eighteen, he began his own contracting business, constructing bridges, piers, etc. in the 1850s and 1860s.
Bridge Description
Bridge No. CR 12-04,38 (35-73-03) is on the Bennett School House-South Webster Road, 3 1/2 miles southeast of Minford, Scioto County, Ohio, and 3 miles east of State Route 335, spanning the Little Scioto River in Harrison Township.
It is a covered timber bridge on gravity-type abutments. It has a double multiple king post truss, consisting of 14 panels with a clear span of 105 feet and a truss span of 110 feet. The structure is 15'5" in width with a roadway width of 11'5" and a portal height of 12'6". It has a hip roof line which is metal.
Some repairs were made to this bridge in 1962 by then County Engineer, Harlan Danner; who strengthened and added a brace to the flooring system.
Portal looking East (1977)
