Stop #4 brought us to Rex's Bridge. This bridge is one of four bridges on the tour which cross Jordan Creek. It was not as easy to photograph as the others due to the fact that the one side with a nice view had "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs posted all over it. We tried to be respectful and stay close to the edge of the creek as possible and not to walk across the lawn so I couldn't quite get the whole bridge in (even with my wide-angle lens). Still this one had a nice hint of fall colors coming in. It's believed to be named after the Rex family who were landowners in the area. The bridge was built in 1858 and it has a floor of lengthwise planking over a floor of crosswise planking. The original stone wing walls have been covered over in plaster and painted white (although you can't see them in this photo).
Thank you Brian, Lee Ann, Lynda, Denise, Connie, Rob and Kerri!
@lyndamcg Here's a little extra info from the tour book to answer your question: Why were the bridges covered? To quote an old Pennsylvanian carpenter, "To keep them dry- not travelers, not the horses or the wagonloads of hay, nor the sweethearts halted in the shadows, but the plank roadways." Builders in Maryland and Virginia expressed their reasoning differently, "Our bridges are covered for the same reason that our belles wear hoop skirts and crinolines- to protect the structural beauty that is seldom seen, but nevertheless appreciated." Some say bridges were covered to resemble barns and make the horses less afraid to enter them.
The most common thought is that the coverings kept the planks from becoming snow and ice laden in the winter, and therefore they didn't need shoveling. Seems to me that's the best answer as I think our early-American counterparts preferred to work on their own land rather than to having to take care of a roadway. Apparently the design came here from Germany and it was common to name them after the builder or the owner of the property that they were on.
@robz Actually the 7 in Lehigh County are a "drop in the bucket" compared to the number in Lancaster County (which I think is close to 100 if memory serves me correctly!). Most covered bridges were built to span some kind of river or creek. Some were on private property, some public. It all depended upon where it was needed. A fun nick-name for these structures is "kissing bridge" because one could steal a kiss from your sweetheart without drawing public attention when you were halfway through the bridge and mostly obscured from view.
Thank you Brian, Lee Ann, Lynda, Denise, Connie, Rob and Kerri!
@lyndamcg Here's a little extra info from the tour book to answer your question: Why were the bridges covered? To quote an old Pennsylvanian carpenter, "To keep them dry- not travelers, not the horses or the wagonloads of hay, nor the sweethearts halted in the shadows, but the plank roadways." Builders in Maryland and Virginia expressed their reasoning differently, "Our bridges are covered for the same reason that our belles wear hoop skirts and crinolines- to protect the structural beauty that is seldom seen, but nevertheless appreciated." Some say bridges were covered to resemble barns and make the horses less afraid to enter them.
The most common thought is that the coverings kept the planks from becoming snow and ice laden in the winter, and therefore they didn't need shoveling. Seems to me that's the best answer as I think our early-American counterparts preferred to work on their own land rather than to having to take care of a roadway. Apparently the design came here from Germany and it was common to name them after the builder or the owner of the property that they were on.
@robz Actually the 7 in Lehigh County are a "drop in the bucket" compared to the number in Lancaster County (which I think is close to 100 if memory serves me correctly!). Most covered bridges were built to span some kind of river or creek. Some were on private property, some public. It all depended upon where it was needed. A fun nick-name for these structures is "kissing bridge" because one could steal a kiss from your sweetheart without drawing public attention when you were halfway through the bridge and mostly obscured from view.
Thank you Kathy!
Thank you Katy!