Today covered bridges are considered historical landmarks, romantic structures resembling the past, but what was the purpose of covering these bridges? There were thought to be many reasons why bridges were covered, although not all of these ideas were correct.
One explanation was that the spans were built to resemble barns, so farm animals would feel more at home and not stampede as they were driven across the rushing waters. Other explanations included: to keep snow off the bridge, to keep the oiled planks of the roadbed from becoming dangerously slippery in the rain, to cover up the unsightly trusses, to provide shelter to travelers caught in a storm, and to provide a place to court your lady and secretly give her a kiss.
One real reason for covering bridges was to protect the trusses from the weather, because the environment caused bridges to fail sooner. Bridge engineers pointed out that a housed timber truss span has a life expectancy at least three times greater than one that is unhoused.
What ever the reason Georgia has some of the best examples of our history of covered bridges.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
