| Henry Ford I liked
covered bridges so much that he bought a Pennsylvania covered
bridge, transplanted it to his estate in Dearborn, Mich., and
had a river dug beneath it. You don’t have to go to
that much trouble to enjoy a covered bridge with its own real
river. You can enjoy a restful stop at the union Covered
Bridge about halfway on your trip to Hannibal.
The Union Covered
Bridge is one of four still remaining in Missouri. It was
restored in 1968 and is maintained by the state park system. The
bridge is closed to cars and other vehicles, but it is
perfectly safe for foot traffic. The Union bridge was
completed in 1871, the last in Monroe County. In their
book, “Covered Bridges of yesteryear in Monroe County,”
Pauline Bryan and Annie Smithey write about the history of the
Union Bridge.
“The bridge is 125
feet long, 17 feet 6 inches wide and is supported by strong
abutments which extend into the road and served as the bridge
approach. It utilizes the Burr-Arch type of truss
construction, which includes a King-post truss with a
strengthening arch bolted to it. Joseph E. Elliot,
contractor of the bridge, doubled the Burr-Arch for additional
strength. On April 8, 1870, the Monroe County Court
ordered Union Covered Bridge to be built and awarded that
contract to Elliot, a well-known builder who built four other
Monroe County bridges.”
Most covered bridges
were built between 1800 and 1875. They represented an
evolutionary step in bridge building, between simple wooden
spans and steel bridges. The Union Bridge was built using
wooden pegs to join the planks. On a typical 100-foot
(30-meter) bridge, more than 5,500 holes had to be bored for
the two inch (five centimeter) pegs. You can see many of
the pegs on the Union Bridge if you look closely.
Many builders passed
their secrets along to their sons, thus creating a family
identify as bridge builders. Theodore Burr was one of the
most prominent pioneer bridge builders. He developed the
Burr-Arch. Today, the family of Joseph of Elliot is in
its fifth generation as bridge builders.
The Union Bridge is a
popular gathering spot now, as it was in the 19th
century. On a summer day, you’re likely to find
swimmers, fishermen or someone relaxing with a six-pack. The
bridge is just off U.S. 24 about five miles (eight kilometers)
west of Paris. Turn right on Highway C, and you’ll see
the bridge on your right about three miles (4.8 kilometers)
down that road.
Source: Pg 5 of the
Columbia Missourian on 19 Jun 1979 at http://newspapers.umsystem.edu/archive/.
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