Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site is a publicly owned property in Jefferson County,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, administered by the

Missouri Department of Natural Resources The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) of the government of the U.S. state of Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied fo ...

, preserving the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge. The bridge is one of four remaining covered bridges in Missouri, which once numbered about 30. It is a relatively rare example of a

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

bridge, one of three in Missouri. The

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

is named for Sandy Creek, which it crosses, and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970.

History

Jefferson County embarked on a building program following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and paid John H. Morse $2000 for the construction of Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in 1872. Six bridges were built that year along the Old Lemay Ferry Road to connect the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Hillsboro to St. Louis County. It was destroyed by high water in 1886, and was rebuilt for $899 by Henry Steffin using half of the original timbers and the original abutments. The bridge is long and wide and has a height of . The bridge came under the protection of the state parks system when the state legislature passed an act in 1967 declaring all remaining covered bridges in the state to be state historic sites. Jefferson County released the bridge to the state in 1968; a major restoration project returned the bridge to its original appearance in 1984.

Activities and amenities

The bridge is open to pedestrian traffic. The

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

offers picnic tables, toilet facilities, and an interpretive display.

References

External links

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site
Missouri Department of Natural Resources {{Protected areas of Missouri Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Missouri Missouri State Historic Sites Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri 1968 establishments in Missouri Protected areas established in 1968 Protected areas of Jefferson County, Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Missouri Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Wooden bridges in Missouri Howe truss bridges in the United States