Geneva, Ohio, took its name in 1816 when settlers north of Harpersfield Village formed a new community, and it grew into an incorporated village in 1866 and a city in 1958. Over time, Geneva developed schools, businesses, rail connections, a grape industry, and early automobile manufacturing, including the locally made Geneva Steamer and the Ewing Taxi, while also being noted as the birthplace of Ransom E. Olds and the home of Platt Rogers Spencer. In 2008, as part of a downtown revitalization plan, the city replaced a deteriorating concrete culvert on West Liberty Street with an authentic timber covered bridge designed by John W. Smolen. Dedicated and opened on October 8, 2011, the Liberty Street Covered Bridge spans 18 feet and was recognized as the nation’s shortest authentic timber covered bridge capable of carrying highway traffic. Built with locally grown timber, specialized treated lumber, a single king post truss design, a steel roof, and features such as a tollkeeper’s booth and ceremonial gate, it was funded by the Ohio Public Works Commission and the City of Geneva. Much of the bridge was constructed by students of the Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus, whose carpentry, design drafting, precision machining, and building maintenance programs helped create its structural components and approaches.
