Grays River Covered Bridge

Grays River Covered Bridge
Carries	Covered Bridge Road
Crosses	Grays River
Locale	Grays River, Washington
Heritage status	NRHP
Characteristics
Design	Howe truss
Material	Timber
Total length	155.5 ft
Width	14 ft
Height	22.5 ft
Clearance above	16.75 ft
History
Construction end	1905
Grays River Covered Bridge U.S. National Register of Historic Places The Grays River Covered Bridge in 1988 Nearest city Grays River, Washington Coordinates 46°21′17.46″N 123°34′46.87″W / 46.3548500°N 123.5796861°W / 46.3548500; -123.5796861Coordinates: 46°21′17.46″N 123°34′46.87″W / 46.3548500°N 123.5796861°W / 46.3548500; -123.5796861 Built 1905 Architect Unknown MPS Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR (AD) NRHP Reference # 71000880[1] Added to NRHP November 23, 1971

The Grays River Covered Bridge is a one-lane covered bridge over the Grays River in western Wahkiakum County, Washington.^[2] It is the only covered bridge still in use as a public highway in Washington State. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.^[3]

History

The bridge was built in 1905 in order to allow horse and wagon agricultural traffic to cross the river. Hans P. Ahlberg, whose dairy farm spanned both sides of the river, was instrumental in getting county commissioners to authorize the project, which was built on his property by the Ferguson & Huston company of Astoria, Oregon.^[4] The bridge was covered three years later in 1908 to preserve the expensive wooden trusses from the ravages of the area rains.^[5] The roof of the covered bridge was originally built of "board and batten cedar siding with a capped tin roof."^[4]

The bridge received a major restoration and reconstruction in 1988. In disrepair and at risk of being torn down, residents worked to raise funds for restoration. Reconstruction was completed by Dulin Construction of Centralia, Washington, for a cost of $295,980.00. The new bridge included steel beams some of which received a wood veneer to maintain the bridge's historic appearance.^[4] On September 30, 1989, the bridge was rededicated to public use, with author, granger, and Grays River resident Robert Michael Pyle serving as master of ceremonies.^[5]

Engineering

1905 Bridge plans drawn up by Ferguson & Houston of Astoria, Oregon

Inside the Grays River Covered Bridge showing the Howe Truss

The Howe truss timber bridge with timber decking spans 155.5 feet, is 22.5 feet high (16.75 inside clearance), and 14 feet wide with cedar shingles for the exterior.^[4]

Management

The bridge is the centerpiece of Ahlberg Park which has been managed by the Grays River Grange since 2011^[6][7] and is the site of an annual Covered Bridge Festival.^[8][9]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grays River Covered Bridge.

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WA-28, "Grays River Covered Bridge", 19 photos, 8 data pages by Robin Bruce, 1991
• Covered bridge over the Grays River, 1967 (Werner Leggenhager) University of Washington Digital Collection

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