Hizey Covered Bridge, Pickerington Ohio
The Hizey Covered Bridge is one of a fast-vanishing breed in Fairfield County which was once the home of more covered bridges than any other county in the state. Liberty Township, where the Hizey Bridge stands, had 14 of these roofed crossings in the 1950s and today the number has dwindled to 5. There were once 5 covered bridges over Poplar Creek in this immediate area, 3 of which were on Poplar Creek Road and today only the Hizey Bridge remains. Fire took out 2 of these bridges. The Hizey Bridge has so far escaped some of this vandalism which has made covered bridge maintenance such a problem in Fairfield County.
The Hizey Bridge was built in 1891 by James W. Buchanan of Basil, Ohio (now known as Baltimore). Mr. Buchanan was a master bridge-builder who learned his trade from old Jacob "Blue Jeans" Brandt. He worked for Mr. Brandt from 1865-1872 and learned his trade well. Like Mr. Brandt, he preferred the Burr or multiple kingpost truss plans and built many covered bridges of this type.
Mr. Buchanan's covered bridges were distinguished by the use of wedges driven behind the braces to produce a camber to the truss, giving his bridges a "hump-back" appearance. Mr. Buchanan, like Mr. Brandt, was a Civil War veteran. He enlisted in Company K, 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was in Sherman's March on Atlanta. After spending his summers building bridges, Mr. Buchanan taught school in the winter. In 1897 he was appointed postmaster at Basil. He built many covered bridges during the 1890's.
The Hizey Bridge is named for T. Hizey who once owned land near the bridge. The old span is in a scenic setting over Poplar Creek and is one of the few roofed spans remaining in an area once so rich with them.
Bridge Description
Hizey Covered Bridge is a one=-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning Poplar Creek on township road 235 (Poplar Creek Road) in Liberty Township section 5, 4 and one-half miles east northeast of Pickerington in Fairfield County, Ohio. This fine old span has vertical, high-boarded siding, metal roof, cut-stone abutments, and projected portals.
It was built in 1891 by James W. Buchanan of Basil, Ohio (now known as Baltimore). Mr. Buchanan used the Burr truss plan for this bridge. The Burr truss was patented in 1804 by Theodore Burr of New England. Mr. Burr was a well-known bridge builder who built many covered bridges in New England, including some very long ones over the larger rivers there. The Burr truss features wooden arches fastened to basic multiple kingpost truss and then anchored into the masonry of the abutments. Mr. Burr's idea was not entirely new as wooden arch covered bridges had been built in Europe for many years. The Hizey Bridge is a 6-panel Burr truss with an open center panel. The upper chords are two 6" x 7"; the lower chords are two 8" x 12". The end posts are 10½" x 8"; the truss members measure 9" x 8" on the end panels, 8" x 8" on the second panels, and 8" x 7" on the center panels. All these truss members are single timbers. The arch is made up of four 4" x 4"s. A 1¼" steel rod runs from the top of the end posts down beneath the first truss vertical, and between the lower chord sections. This steel is undoubtedly a later strengthening addition. The bridge measures 83' long overall with a clear span of 77'. The roadway width is 15'11" and the overall width is 19'. The height of the trusses is 11'. The floor is one layer laid lengthwise. The siding is 11 planks painted a deep red. The projected portals are painted white.
The original paint job on the bridge is unknown (if any), but in the early 1950s, it did not appear to have ever been painted. The builder's name and the date were stenciled above each portal. In the late 1950s or early 1960s, the county painted over Mr. Buchanan's name when they gave this bridge a coat of red paint with white trim on the portals. The bridge still has its slightly "humpback" look because it was built with camber and has retained this through the years. The south abutment has been reinforced with concrete at its base. One wooden post has been added under the northwest corner of the bridge. The metal roof is probably a replacement for the original shingle.
East side, south portal, looking west-northwest (1975)
