America's Covered Bridges - Hardcover

""America's Covered Bridges" is a book every covered bridge enthusiast will want to own. Amongst numerous other virtues, the book is profusely illustrated with both historic and contemporary photographs, the latter permitting readers to assess the current condition of many of our covered bridges."--David W. Wright, President, National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Incorporated

"The authors offer a wealth of historical documentation in this book, which would be hard to find anywhere else. Their coverage of recent change in the field of covered bridge preservation is especially valuable. The photography is first-rate."-- Joseph D. Conwill, historian and author, editor of "Covered Bridge Topics" magazine

""America's Covered Bridges" has set a new standard of excellence for books on the topic. The authors' exhaustive research and uncommon storytelling skills, along with a willingness to offer candid observations, has resulted in a publication like no other."--David A. Simmons, President, Ohio Historic Bridge Association

""America's Covered Bridges" is an informative, frank, and enthralling overview of America's venerable yet vulnerable covered bridges, richly illustrated with stunning photography. The authors have collaborated and combined their vast knowledge, expertise, and research and teamed up with photographer A. Chester Ong to produce a volume that will undoubtedly become a must-have reference for pontists as well as covered bridge enthusiasts."--Thomas E. Walczak, covered bridge historian and former president, Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania

""America's Covered Bridges" deals with the subject of covered wooden bridges from new angles. The authors reflect on what a covered bridge is and what it should be in our society. They do not simply enumerate a succession of historical facts or present only romantic images. Rather, this book considers the value we grant to this legacy when replicas of covered bridges and summary restorations are the order of the day."--Gerald Arbour, Author, "Les ponts rouges du Quebec", Montreal, Canada

""America's Covered Bridges" is an accurate documentation and splendid pictorial of these timber structures, a physical reminder of a simpler time. The book is a valuable testament that tells the stories of the bridges and their builders, as well as the proper techniques for restoration. I hope that this work will raise awareness to save this important legacy."--Arnold Milton Graton, Master Covered Bridge Wright, Ashland, New Hampshire

"This book is a much needed resource answering questions that are frequently asked by those touring the bridges from all over the world. The pictures and illustrations are excellent."--Morris Tippin, President, Indiana Covered Bridge Society

"Gorgeous color photographs of covered bridges accompanied by historical perspective, construction process and details, and an essay on their contemporary role and status. A balanced account for both the nostalgic and the serious." -- Tunney Lee, Former Head, Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT

The history of North America is in many ways encapsulated in the history of her covered bridges. The early 1800s saw a tremendous boom in the construction of these bridges, and in the years that followed as many as 15,000 covered bridges were built. Today, fewer than a thousand remain.
Without covered bridges to span the rivers and provide access to vast swaths of the interior that had previously been difficult to access--America never would have developed the way she did. In "America's Covered Bridges," authors Terry E. Miller and Ronald G. Knapp tell the fascinating story of these bridges, how they were built, the technological breakthroughs required to construct them, and above all the dedication and skill of their builders. Each of the bridges, whether still standing or long gone, has a story to tell about the nature of America at the time--not only about its transportational needs, but the availability of materials and the technological prowess of the people who built it.
Central to the development of these bridges was the challenge of supporting a long spans with flat roadways. Early American bridge builders and carpenters developed revolutionary new methods of joining timbers into patterns consisting of triangles or continuous arches that resulted in structures rigid enough to span long distances. Called trusses, these systems were critical and had to be protected from the elements by a roof and siding. Few people today realize that bridges were covered to protect the trusses--not the people using the bridge! Unprotected, the trusses soon degraded and the bridge would collapse.
North American covered bridges were marvels of engineering long before modern civil engineering was invented. Self-taught carpenters and builders discovered how to shape and join timbers into patterns in just the right ways to achieve a desired strength. Over time, wooden bridges eventually gave way to ones made of iron, steel, and concrete. Many covered bridges became obsolete and were replaced--others simply decayed and collapsed. Many more were swept away by raging torrents or ice floes, or by tornados, tropical storms, and hurricanes. A few were reduced to ashes by accidental fires, or torched by arsonists.
Illustrated with some 550 historical and contemporary photos, paintings, and technical drawings of nearly 400 different covered bridges, the book offers five readable chapters on the history, design, and fate of America's covered bridges, plus related bridges in Canada. Most of the contemporary photography is by master photographer A. Chester Ong of Hong Kong.
The "Permanent Bridge" in Philadelphia, considered by most as the "first covered bridge in America," figures prominently. Among the bridges discussed and pictured are many of the most astounding bridges ever built in the United States, including those by Timothy Palmer, Theodore Burr, and Lewis Wernwag. Some, like the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge over the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, were a mile long.
Completing the book are 55 photo essays on the most iconic bridges remaining, including:

• Cornish-Windsor Bridge between Vermont and New Hampshire
• Porter-Parsonsfield Bridge, Maine
• East Paden and West Paden (Twin Bridges), Pennsylvania
• Philippi Bridge, West Virginia
• Hortons Mill Bridge, Alabama
• Medora Bridge, Indiana
• Rock Mill Bridge, Ohio
• Knight's Ferry Bridge, California
• Perrault Bridge, Quebec, Canada
• Hartland Bridge, New Brunswick, Canada

Among the featured bridges are two that were destroyed before the book could be published, New York's Blenheim Bridge during a storm and Ohio's Humpback Bridge by arson.
"America's Covered Bridges" is absolutely packed with fascinating stories and information--passionately told by two leading experts on this subject. The book will be of tremendous interest to anyone interested in American history, carpentry, and technological change.