Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site
Encyclopedia
Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site in Jefferson County
, Missouri
, is administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of State Parks to preserve the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge. The bridge is one of four remaining covered bridge
s in Missouri, which once numbered about 30. It is a relatively rare example of a Howe truss bridge, one of three in Missouri. It is named for Sandy Creek which it crosses.
Jefferson county embarked on a building program following the American Civil War
and paid John H. Morse $2000 for the construction of Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in 1872. It is one of six bridges built that year for Hillsboro to Lemay Ferry road to connect the county seat
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 74.5 feet (22.7 m), 18 feet 10 inches (5.7 m) wide and an height of 13 feet (4 m).
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, and it was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970. A major restoration project restored the bridge to its original appearance in 1984.
The bridge is now open only to pedestrian traffic. The parks-administered historic site of which it is the centerpiece is a 205 acre (0.8296063 km²) day use facility with picnic tables, toilet facilities, and an interpretive display.
Jefferson County, Missouri
Jefferson County is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. The county was included as the mean center of U.S. population in 1980. It is the sixth most-populous county in Missouri. Census 2010 put the population at 218,733 Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county was...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, is administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of State Parks to preserve the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge. The bridge is one of four remaining covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
s in Missouri, which once numbered about 30. It is a relatively rare example of a Howe truss bridge, one of three in Missouri. It is named for Sandy Creek which it crosses.
Jefferson county embarked on a building program following the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and paid John H. Morse $2000 for the construction of Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in 1872. It is one of six bridges built that year for Hillsboro to Lemay Ferry road to connect the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Missouri
Hillsboro is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The estimated population as of 2008 is 2,062. The population was 1,675 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.- Origin of name :...
to St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
. 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 74.5 feet (22.7 m), 18 feet 10 inches (5.7 m) wide and an height of 13 feet (4 m).
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1970. A major restoration project restored the bridge to its original appearance in 1984.
The bridge is now open only to pedestrian traffic. The parks-administered historic site of which it is the centerpiece is a 205 acre (0.8296063 km²) day use facility with picnic tables, toilet facilities, and an interpretive display.