Mud River Covered Bridge, Milton West Virginia

Date added: December 10, 2022 Categories: West Virginia Bridges Covered Bridges

Mud River Covered Bridge is patterned after the innovations in the use of iron as a supporting material developed by William Howe, but this bridge uses the added strength of an arch. For a long while the commerce of the central part of Cabell County, West Virginia, depended upon this valuable link across the Mud River.

The town of Milton began growing and prospering with the coming of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in the early 1870s. Increased business activity required better means of transportation, so the Cabell County Court let a contract to construct a wooden bridge across the Mud River in late 1874. The local postmaster won at least part of the job of building the structure, and he and his workers brought it to completion by late 1875 or early 1876 despite high water in the spring. The bridge's prominence as a landmark became immediately clear, for when the town of Milton was incorporated in 1876, its boundary listing began "at the south side of the Milton bridge across the Mud River."

The construction was undertaken as a project of the county court. Bridge design is basically the pattern devised by William Howe about 1840, in that it incorporates the "X"-truss in wooden beams and the major vertical supports in iron tie rods rather than wood. The Mud River Bridge carries the basic style a little farther, though, for the trusses are doubled, two sets of crossbeams being placed between each set of tie rods. To provide additional strength, the structure has a wooden arch.

The Mud River Covered Bridge provided a greatly improved means of transportation and better flow of commerce in the central section of Cabell County when constructed. Even though it was built about the time of the laying of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway through the area when the long-distance traffic from east and west on the old James River and Kanawha Turnpike was much diminished, it facilitated the movement of goods and people to the railroad depots and around the surrounding countryside. Maintenance records from 1891 stress the importance of the structure to the area's commerce, for the county court was willing to pay $110.09 for needed repairs. Since the bridge is located in an area of steep banks and rough terrain, fording the stream would have been difficult. Outlying farmers and townspeople alike would have appreciated the availability of such a key addition to the transportation system.

Bridge Description

The Mud River Covered Bridge at Milton, Cabell County, is a single-span, modified Howe truss structure that has incorporated additional support through the use of a central arch. Probably constructed in the second half of the nineteenth century, the bridge now sits atop its old cut-stone abutments near the river's banks. These are complemented by the strength of steel girders placed on both the river and bank sides of the original abutments in 1971.

Structural framing of the bridge features a central arch that ties into the first and tenth "X"=shaped trusses. This slight modification of the Howe pattern adds strength to the structure. The actual design includes double supports on either side of the iron tie-rods which Howe devised for use instead of wooden beams. The heavy supports cross at mid-point between the bridge floor and roof with the "X"=-pattern repeated between the siding and the floorboards. Roof supports consist of iron rods placed about midway between each of the series of side trusses. These rods are met by wooden beams which form another "X"-pattern along the roof. The siding is vertical and reaches within about one foot of the roof overhang. The roof is of cedar shakes.

From the time of its construction until 1971, the bridge apparently underwent only minor repairs. In 1971, however, the West Virginia Department of Highways, the agency responsible for maintenance, undertook the task of structural restoration at the urging of the Covered Bridge Garden Club of Milton. Care was taken not to destroy the integrity of design, and beams in need of replacement or repair were matched for size and placed in the original positions. The bridge floor is now underpinned with steel girders, and extra steel abutments have been added. New siding and a new floor were constructed. The roof supports were completely removed and a new roof was built.

The bridge is approximately 112 feet in length and 14 feet in width. Beams are of dimensions between 6"' x 6" and 8" x 8", and the central arch is composed of four 6" x 4" planks.