The Philippi Covered Bridge

Constructed in 1852 by Lemuel Chenoweth with masonry by Emanuel J. O'Brien at a cost of $12,151.24, the Philippi Covered Bridge is the only two-lane bridge in the federal highway system. Built of yellow poplar with native stone masonry and iron bolts made by local blacksmiths, it served both North and South during the Civil War as troops and supplies crossed the mountains into Virginia, and it narrowly escaped the burning that destroyed many other wooden structures along the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike. When modern traffic loads became too great for its wooden floor beams, hearings were held on whether to repair or replace it, and in 1938 two additional piers, a steel reinforced concrete floor, and a walkway increased safety for vehicular and pedestrian traffic and raised its weight capacity to ten tons. After a fire on February 2, 1989, a $1.4 million restoration project completed in 1991 used as much original material as possible and returned the bridge to its original appearance while adding lighting and a sprinkler system. The bridge has survived many ice jams and floods, including the devastating floods of 1888 and 1985, and it remains the state's most photographed landmark. Philippi was established on February 14, 1844, by the General Assembly of Virginia after earlier becoming the county seat of Barbour County, and the town was named for Judge Philip Pendleton Barbour, a Virginia jurist.

Philippi, West Virginia · United States