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Covered Bridges of Barbour County
The Philippi Covered Bridge
 On
January 14, 1848, the General Assembly of Virginia passed
an act authorizing the construction of roadways to open
up the traffic to western Virginia. The Beverly-Fairmont
Pike was largely completed in 1849 and in 1850 the Board
of Public Works advertised for proposals to construct
a bridge at Philippi. The contract went to Lemuel and
Eli Chenoweth. The final cost was $12,181.24.
The foundations of the Philippi Covered Bridge lie five feet under the Tygart Valley River on solid rock and stone coal. The upper masonry is local native sandstone and the wood yellow poplar taken from virgin timber in Barbour County. It is 303 feet, 10 inches long, 13 feet 2 inches wide, and 11 feet 6 inches high. In 1938, 133 tons of steel and a new concrete floor with two extra piers were installed. When the bridge burned on February 2, 1989, it was fully restored to its original specifications utilizing original hand tools and construction techniques.
 In
1860, Charles W. Russell operated the tollhouse and a
small store at the east end of the recently constructed
Philippi covered bridge. Tolls collected for travelers
using the Beverly and Fairmont turnpike included: For
every horse and rider .10, for every led or driven horse
.05, for all two or four wheeled wagons drawn by one horse
.20, for carry-all or Jersey Wagons without springs drawn
by two horses .25, for every stage drawn by two or three
horses .45, for every stage drawn by four horses .50,
for every empty cart drawn by one animal .05, for cart
with lading and every empty wagon .10, for wagon with
lading .25, for animal drawing such cart of wagon .05,
for every head of cattle .015, for score of sheep .05,
for score of hogs .10.
The Carrolton Bridge
The Carrolton Bridge was built in 1855 by Emmett and Daniel O'Brien and is located on County Route 36 across the Buckhannon River at Carrollton. It has a length of 140 feet 9 inches and a width of 16 feet. Its original cost was $2928 for the abutments and $1891 for the superstructure. It was renovated in 1963 with a concrete deck and three-foot sidewalk supported by steel girders with additional piers on the river.
More History...
Barbour County Region
Historic Communities in Barbour County
First Land Battle
Flags Over Philippi
Barbour County Fair
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