Few images evoke Americana more than a covered bridge. Thousands of the rustic structures dotted the nation in the nineteenth century and have become synonymous with rural landscapes of days gone by.
Today in Illinois, only six covered bridges remain. Mostly nestled in out-of-the-way rural locales, many have become indelible landmarks of their nearby communities and neighborhoods.
The most recognizable covered bridge in Illinois is the Red Bridge, located less than a mile north of Princeton, 55 miles east of the Quad Cities. Built in 1863 at a cost of $3,148.57, the 93-foot Red Bridge is a short drive off Interstate 80 at Exit 56.
Spanning Big Bureau Creek, the Red was a hallmark on the legendary Galena Trail, connecting Peoria and Galena. Today, it has become a significant tourist attraction in Princeton, a welcoming community with an attractive downtown and enticing shops. The picturesque structure is the most photographed of the Illinois bridges. Scenes depicting the Red Bridge adorned the front cover of recent Illinois road maps.
“It’s a real icon of the community,” said Pam Lange, director of the Bureau County Historical Society. “It’s on advertisements and billboards, and has been photographed so many times. It’s been an important landmark for a lot of years in Bureau County.”
On Labor Day 2013, the society hosted a sesquicentennial celebration at the bridge that attracted large crowds. Remarkably well-maintained, the Red Bridge is the only one of the original Illinois bridges that is open to traffic.
“I think that’s really something,” Lange said. “It’s been taken care of so well, and it speaks to the sturdy construction of the bridge.”
Ten miles south of Springfield, the Sugar Creek bridge near Glenarm has been a proud symbol of both the local park districts and the Sangamon County Historical Society. Built in 1880, the pristine, 58-foot bridge is surrounded by a spacious park that has become a popular spot for picnics and parties, as well as a favorable backdrop for high school and family photos.
“I can’t tell you how many people use that park,” said Nancy Chapin of nearby Chatham, a past president of the Sangamon County Historical Society. “They’re always someone out there. People have held weddings there, and there are all sorts of reunions and get-togethers at the park.”
Like many renovated bridges, the Sugar Creek bridge is equipped with surveillance and sprinkler systems, as well as fire alarms. Once under the care of the Sangamon County Historical Society, the park is now administered by the city of Chatham. “The city has just done a wonderful job,” remarked Chapin. “The bridge is just really important to so many around here.”
In recent years, there has been a boom in new homes built near the Sugar Creek bridge, another indication of the bridge’s modern appeal. Even with the uptick, the park site maintains its peaceful ambiance.
The Little Mary’s River bridge in southern Illinois also has become a popular tourist site. Two miles north of Chester in Randolph County, the bridge is the oldest of the Illinois spans, constructed in 1854 largely with hand-hewn, white oak timber. The 98-foot bridge was renovated in 2005.
The bridge originally connected a plank toll road between Chester and Bremen and was in use until 1930. For decades, it has been the anchor of a tranquil roadside park along Illinois Route 4, where visitors also may enjoy interpretive signs describing the bridge and local history.
“We hear from people who want to see the bridge, and we send them out to it,” said Emily Lyons, a board member of Southern Illinois Tourism. “It seems that every time you drive by the bridge, there’s one or two cars parked there.”
In eastern Illinois, the Thompson Mill bridge crosses the Kaskaskia River east of Cowden, a village in Shelby County. That bridge, the longest of the surviving Illinois spans at 110 feet, was built in 1887 at a cost of $2,500.
The narrowest of the Illinois bridges at 10-feet-7-inches in width, the span was part of a key road between Springfield and Effingham and was named for one of the first mill owners in the area. The bridge was pre-fabricated in Michigan and shipped to nearby Shelbyville, where horse-drawn wagons hauled the pieces to the current site. The Thompson Mill Bridge was closed to foot traffic in 1987.
Three miles south of Oquawka in Henderson County, motorists along Illinois Route 164 can catch a glimpse of the Allaman - Eames bridge, constructed in 1866 and was open to traffic until 1934. The bridge required major repairs after extensive damage from a 1982 flood.
Its 104-foot span crosses Henderson Creek and is the centerpiece of a roadside park. The bridge was constructed by Jacob Allaman, a Pennsylvania-born farmer who had built three covered bridges in his native state.
The other surviving Illinois covered bridge is the Young Bridge, just east of Rockford. The 75-foot bridge, erected in 1890, crosses Kinnikinnick Creek and is accessible only with permission.
Illinois has fewer bridges than some of its neighbors. Nearly a hundred survive in Indiana, including thirty-one in Parke County alone, where a festival each October attracts tens of thousands. Six of the ten remaining bridges in Iowa are in Madison County, the basis for the popular novel “The Bridges of Madison County” that later became a Clint Eastwood movie.
However, only four covered bridges remain in Missouri. Each of those bridges is under the care of the state’s Department of Natural Resources and are designated as state historic sites. Only one bridge survives in Wisconsin.
Covered bridges are susceptible to a variety of threats, including destructive floods. Arson is another factor. Southeast of Knoxville in Knox County, the 120-year-old Wolf Covered Bridge was destroyed in a set fire on Aug. 20, 1994. The bridge has since been rebuilt.
In 1976, a fire wiped out the Spring Creek bridge north of Springfield, taking not only a piece of history but a lot of memories. “I remember when my husband and I were courting in the 1950s,” said Chapin. “We used to ride horses across that bridge.”
A primary purpose for covered bridges was to protect the beams from the elements. Many bridges had a sort of speed limit, usually set at a horse’s trot. Frequently the bridges, including the Red Bridge near Princeton, carried posted warnings at either entrance, prohibiting fast crossings.
• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.