ThePumpman.com - The Double Covered Bridge In Cambridge

This photograph shows the double covered bridge located in Cambridge, Ohio at the turn of the century. Unusual is the fact that it had two portals, an almost unheard of and extravagant feature in bridge construction at the time. In 1798 the crossing at Wills Creek had indeed been formidable and a ferry was established. This was replaced in 1801 by a log toll bridge which lasted until its replacement in 1828, shown here. The bridge was actually built in an adjacent field and the water was rerouted under it. The area in front of the bridge between the railroad tracks and the bridge entrance was once the stream bed.

Alas, the floods of 1913 were too much for the structure and it washed away. As you view the photograph, keep in mind that a preponderance of citizens from the East over Zanes Trace and the National Road on their way to other parts of the country came across this meager stream and through this bridge. Some like to think that the double portal construction allowed two way traffic but some think the extravagance shown in its construction was somewhat of a salute to those that had made it as far as Cambridge, Ohio.

The double covered bridge in Cambridge, Ohio. circa1900