Parker Covered Bridge, Upper Sandusky Ohio
The Parker Covered Bridge is located in a historically significant area. Just one-half mile south of the bridge is the grave of Tarhe the Crane, chief of the Wyandots. It was from this Indian tribe that Wyandot County took its name. Three and one-half miles south of the bridge is the Indian Mill State Memorial, administered by the Ohio Historical Society. The United States Government built this mill for the Wyandots in about 1821.
The Parker Covered Bridge was built in 1873. by J. C. Davis and is named for nearby landowners. This bridge is located over a section of the scenic Sandusky River that is included in the Sandusky River Scenic Waterway Project. The purpose of this project, which is under the control of the State Department of Natural Resources, is to preserve the natural beauty of the area. The Parker Covered Bridge is one of the few covered bridges left in this area and it has given faithful service for over a century now. The bridge was given a thorough renovation in 1966, including a new shingle roof. The Parker Bridge is an outstanding example of a well-maintained Howe truss. The bridge is attractive and in very good condition.
Bridge Description
The bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge spanning the Sandusky River in Crane Township section 3, Wyandot County, five miles northeast of Upper Sandusky. This bridge has the typical vertical, high-boarded siding found in most of Ohio's covered bridges, a shingle roof, projected portals and stone abutments. This covered bridge is known as the Parker Bridge and is built on the once popular Howe truss plan patented in 1840 by William Howe of Spencer, Mass. The Howe truss is similar to the Long truss, and the improvement for which Mr. Howe was given a patent was the replacement of the wooden verticals of the Long truss with the iron rods which could be tightened or adjusted with turnbuckles. This was a very significant advance in bridge engineering and spelled the end of the all-wooden bridge truss. The Parker Bridge is a 16-panel Howe truss with an overall length of 172' and a clear span of 161'4". The overall width is 20'4" and the roadway is 156" with a vertical clearance of 14'6".
The outward appearance of the Parker Bridge is quite pleasing. Its vertical siding and portals are finished with battens and painted a deep covered bridge red. A sign on the portal tells of the builder and building date. The stone abutments are the original foundations of the bridge and the roof is of wooden shingles imported from British Columbia. This bridge is in very good condition.
North portal, west side of bridge, looking southeast (1974)
