Otway Bridge / Timber Covered Bridges

Otway Bridge spans Brush Creek in Brush Creek Township, Scioto County, and was erected in 1874 by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio. Robert W. Smith received patents for timber trusses in 1867 and 1869, and this bridge uses a Smith patented truss design. Supplemental arches were added in 1896, and the bridge’s original length of 200 feet was later shortened to 171 feet. Timber covered bridges were vital links in Ohio’s early road, railroad, and canal systems and contributed greatly to the state’s growth and development. Their roofs and siding protected heavy timber trusses from the weather, and many carried loads and served their communities for well over a century. Built by fine craftsmen using broadax, adz, pitsaw, and froe, these sturdy bridges were constructed by hand.

Ohio · United States