Stonelick Covered Bridge, Perintown Ohio
The Stonelick Bridge takes its name from the creek it spans although it is sometimes referred to as the Perintown Bridge for the nearby town. This bridge was built in 1878 and a sketch of it can be seen in the 1880 History of Clermont County by Louis H. Everts. This picture shows the Patchell Farm and the covered bridge. In addition to being quite sturdy and in excellent condition, the Stonelick Bridge is very picturesque. It is painted a deep red on siding and portals and both siding and portals are finished with battens. This is the last covered bridge in Clermont County and one of only 18 Howe trusses left in Ohio. It is certainly one of the finest Howe trusses in the state.
Bridge Description
The Stonelick Bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning Stonelick Creek in Stonelick Township, 2½ miles east of Perintown in Clermont County. The bridge has a sheet metal roof and vertical siding, boarded almost to the eaves. The abutments are stone.
The Stonelick Bridge is a 12-panel Howe truss, 140' long overall with a 136.5" clear span. The overall width is 22' with a 16" 5" roadway. The overhead clearance is 15' 5". The Howe truss was patented in 1840 by William Howe of Spencer, Massachusetts. The Howe truss marked a definite advance in the progress of bridge design because it replaced the wooden uprights of previous bridge trusses, such as the Long truss, with iron rods that could be adjusted with nuts and turnbuckles. Thus, these iron verticals can be tightened when the bridge begins to sag out of line so that it can be straightened again. William Howe was the first to combat the inherent weakness of the all-wood truss in which the wooden uprights, when in tension, tend to give way. The advent of the Howe truss marked the end of the all-wood bridge truss. The Howe truss was extremely popular, especially with the railroads.
The outward appearance of the Stonelick Bridge has changed little over the years. In 1970, the roof was replaced and the bridge seats were repaired. The end posts and the decayed ends of the bottom chords were replaced, new joists and flooring was installed and the entire structure was painted. In 1971, the stone abutments were reinforced with concrete. The county engineer states that they attempt to keep the bridge as near as possible to its original construction by using the same type and kinds of materials in the repair work as were used in the original construction.
West side of bridge, looking east (1974)
