Bridge Of Dreams

They call it the Bridge of Dreams because skeptics thought that turning a 370 foot long railroad bridge into a covered bridge was impossible. Turns out it was expensive but not impossible at all.

Today, it’s the second longest covered bridge in Ohio, second only to this one up in Ashtabula County. It’s also the third longest in America.

The railroad bridge was constructed over the Mohican River in the 1920s and abandoned about seventy years later. Like so many abandoned rail lines in this country, a portion was acquired locally and eventually transformed into a rail trail called Mohican Valley Trail. The bridge was covered through private donations and grant money.

I visited on a cool October morning, pulling my jacket tighter as I walked the short distance from the parking lot to the bridge. The foliage along the trail was quite pretty. The trail is paved and rather wide so I’m told you sometimes will see Amish buggies along the way. In other words, watch where you step.

As much as I enjoyed being in the bridge, I better appreciated being under it. There’s enough room to park under the bridge and east access to the shore. This is clearly a popular place to fish and there are plenty of rocks to admire.

The view of the bridge from this vantage point is second to none.

The Mohican Valley Trail stretches about 4.5 miles from the village of Danville to the Holmes County line. It is open to pedestrians, cyclists and horses.

If you go, the address to use is 16606 Hunter Road. Use Brinkhaven or Danville as the town, depending on your navigation system. This is a great side trip if you’re in Ohio’s Amish Country.

Alley Park

While out running around Saturday, I meandered into Alley Park near Lancaster, Ohio. Part of Lancaster’s city park system, it’s home to picnic areas, seven miles of trails, a terrific log cabin, nature center, a catch and release lake and this covered bridge.

It’s called the George Hutchins Covered Bridge. Built somewhere else in 1865, it was brought here for the Fairfield County Bicentennial Celebration in 2000.

At just 49 feet, it’s not an enormous bridge but it’s in great shape and the perfect venue for small events. In fact, it was decorated Saturday for a late day wedding.

I wandered around here for a bit before heading down the road to bargain shop at Peddlar’s Junction. Just before this, I had visited a local sunflower field. Read about that experience here!

Also, in case you need a pep talk – this flower was growing all alone in a pavement crack. If a little flower can muster this kind of resilience and will to live, we can too!

Alley Park

While out running around Saturday, I meandered into Alley Park near Lancaster, Ohio. Part of Lancaster’s city park system, it’s home to picnic areas, seven miles of trails, a terrific log cabin, nature center, a catch and release lake and this covered bridge.

It’s called the George Hutchins Covered Bridge. Built somewhere else in 1865, it was brought here for the Fairfield County Bicentennial Celebration in 2000.

At just 49 feet, it’s not an enormous bridge but it’s in great shape and the perfect venue for small events. In fact, it was decorated Saturday for a late day wedding.

I wandered around here for a bit before heading down the road to bargain shop at Peddlar’s Junction. Just before this, I had visited a local sunflower field. Read about that experience here!

Also, in case you need a pep talk – this flower was growing all alone in a pavement crack. If a little flower can muster this kind of resilience and will to live, we can too!

Johnson Road Covered Bridge

The Johnson Road Covered Bridge in Jackson County has a claim to fame for being one of the last of its kind still standing in Ohio.

Here’s the story:

Built in 1869, it was constructed using the Smith Truss. This kind of truss was invented and patented by Ohio bridge builder Robert W. Smith. His company was based in Tippecanoe City, Ohio (present day Tipp City) and was known as a prolific bridge builder through Ohio and parts of the Midwest.

He started with wooden bridges like the Johnson Road bridge but eventually moved to Toledo where he turned his interest towards metal truss bridges.

Almost all the covered bridges in Jackson County were made by Smith’s firm but this is the only one that remains.

According to the Jackson County Engineer’s Office, the purpose of this design was to provide maximum strength using minimum materials. In other words, it was a sturdy bridge that didn’t cost a bundle to build .

You can drive through this bridge and, aside from the graffiti, it seems well maintained. A couple of things to note- there is a bend in the road as you approach the bridge, making it hard to see oncoming traffic until you’re right there. Since it’s a township road, it’s not busy out there but you still need to pay attention.

Want to find it? The Maps app on my iPhone got me right there by using the address 1599 Johnson Road, Jackson, Ohio. You will turn off Rt 32, a four lane highway, and be on State Route 776 for a while. This two lane road is curvy and passes through some farm country including a few Amish homes. Watch out for farm equipment and buggies.

Sugartree Mill Company

Wilmington, Ohio is home to a fantastic store that’s located in an old flour mill. It’s called Sugartree Mill Company and here you’ll find a nice assortment of antiques, reproductions and all the little things you need to make your house feel like a home.

As it turns out, this business is loosely tied to the Martinsville Road Covered Bridge that I wrote about yesterday. You see, that bridge was built by Champion Bridge Company in 1871. That Wilmington based company is still in operation and is one of the oldest bridge builders in the US.

The people who own that company bought the circa 1881 mill a few years ago and breathed new life into it. The place has tremendous character with light and airy spaces, archways, exposed brick and gorgeous displays of new and old pieces.

They have a great selection of artificial flowers and plants that are so realistic you may forget and give them water.

There are table linens, garden decor, stationary, jewelry and more. There are also a lot of antique and vintage items including some things I hadn’t seen before.

I was enamored with this handmade carousel horse and a vintage typewriter. They have a handful of things that aren’t for sale including the witness stand from the Municipal Courtroom in the old Wilmington City Hall.

The area pictured above made me want to sit a spell with a book and a cat.

I needed nothing but found a deal on a vintage suitcase and throughly enjoyed the shopping experience.

It never ceases to amaze me how connected things are in this world. I went looking for the bridge and the store that day separately and without knowing there was any connection. The bridge company only entered my consciousness when putting together yesterday’s story about the pretty red bridge and I was surprised to see the builder come up in the conversation about this store.

These small surprises are perhaps my favorite part of this world.

Want to visit Sugartree Mill Company? Click here for their hours, address and other details.

Root Covered Bridge

Sometimes a community recognizes the historic value of landmarks they have outgrown. That was the case in Washington County back in 1975 when a new road was built to bypass the Root Covered Bridge.

Some places might have torn down this old bridge but they instead had it added to the National Register of Historic Places, celebrating its beauty, charm and value as a landmark. Built in 1878, it was named for William Root and his family who founded the nineteenth century community Root Town. At one time there was a mill, store and post office.

Today, there’s a bridge, a barn and a couple of houses. The bridge is closed to motor vehicle traffic but open to pedestrians. It’s quite scenic and well worth the short trip off of State Route 555, a windy road that is better know by car clubs and motorcyclists as the Triple Nickel.

There are nine covered bridges in Washington County so be sure to check out the others by following this driving tour. Read about another bridge I visited in this area by clicking here.