Covered bridges & back roads
By Claudia Taller
On the back roads of Ashtabula County, the pavement gives way to dirt road suddenly and inexplicably and you wonder what happened to the road as you start to bump along past lingering yellowed cornfields and vineyards. Down the hill, by the river, a covered bridge regally stretches from one bank to the next, and it feels like you’re in yesteryear time.
Eighteen covered bridges stretch over the meandering waterways of this Northeast Ohio county. Celebrate the bridges this weekend at the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival. On Sat 10/13 from 9AM-4PM and Sun 10/14 from 9AM-6PM, the fairgrounds in Jefferson are transformed into a fall festival of food, crafts, entertainment, contests and games. The festival features a farmer’s market, quilt show, and a parade. Experience a moment in time that takes you back to that old time feeling of comfort by going to the Covered Bridge Fest this weekend.
The Festival has drawn people to Ashtabula County for 29 years, and admission is only $3 per person or $5 for a two-day pass. Children under twelve are free, which should lead to added entertainment near the games and contest areas.
The bridges are wonderful. Tour the countryside and discover the five types of historic bridges that grace the landscape: Howe truss, Pratt truss, Inverted Haupt truss, Town lattice truss, and the Burr Arch construction. Click here for a tri-fold tour map. Then go on a road trip, picnic basket and kids in tow, and start rambling. The tension will dissipate, and your face will shine with openness.
My favorites? The Netcher Road Bridge over Mill Creek in Jefferson Township features a timber arch with inverted Haupt walls of Neo-Victorian design and is 110 feet long with white trim, constructed in 1998. The State Road Bridge was built in 1983 over Conneaut Creek and is a 152-foot long Town lattice construction bridge with four-foot tall windows. The other Town lattice style bridge is the Doyle Road Bridge built in 1868 over Mill Creek, a tributary of the Grand River. A fine example of Pratt truss construction is the 107-foot long Giddings Road Bridge built in 1995.
By far my favorite bridge, the background of many family pictures, is the Harpersfield Bridge, the longest covered bridge in Ohio until the Smolen-Gulf Bridge was built in 2008, which expands over the Grand River and was built in 1868. Gaze down into the water while walking the covered walkway across the bridge.
But before you start, enjoy a pancake breakfast and watch the parade. The full schedule of events, including cornhole tournaments, tractor pulls, scarecrow and pumpkin contests, and chainsaw carving, can be found on the website.
Small town fall activities await at the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival, which runs Sat 10/13 and Sun 10/14 @ the Ashtabula County Fairgrounds – 135 N Poplar St, Jefferson. http://CoveredBridgeFestival.org.
Claudia Taller is the author of Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries and roamed Ashtabula County’s dirt roads while writing her book, which can be purchased at http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and makes a perfect gift for history buffs and wine lovers. Join her for her upcoming Word Lovers weekend in Lakeside, where your creativity will be ignited through poetry and memoir and speakers who will inspire and rejuvenate. http://IgnitingPossibilities.blogspot.com.