Harra Covered Bridge

Harra Covered Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The bridge in April 2010.
Nearest city	Watertown, Ohio
Coordinates	39°29′16″N 81°38′53″W / 39.48778°N 81.64806°WCoordinates: 39°29′16″N 81°38′53″W / 39.48778°N 81.64806°W
Area	0.9 acres (0.36 ha)
Built	1875
Architect	William Meredith
Architectural style	Long truss
NRHP Reference #	76001547[1]
Added to NRHP	October 8, 1976

The Harra Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in Washington County, Ohio, United States.^[2] Located in western Watertown Township, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the community of Watertown, the bridge spans the South Branch of Wolf Creek near the intersection of State Route 339 and Township Road 172.^[3] Among the bridge's more distinctive features are its cut stone abutments, its metal roof, and the vertical siding. Although it has been open for well over one hundred years, it remains in strong structural condition, and it served daily traffic into the late twentieth century.^[2]

A single-span structure completed in 1875, the bridge was constructed under the leadership of Marietta bridge builder William Meredith. One of his primary employees was stonemason Billy Gamble, who used locally-quarried stone to construct the abutments. The source for this stone was the farm of James Harrah, whose name (minus its final letter) was given to the bridge. The plan for the bridge used the Long truss design; fewer than ten historic Long truss bridges remain in Ohio today.^[2] In 1976, the Harra Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places,^[1] qualifying both because of its historically significant architecture and because of its importance in the history of Ohio.^[4]

References

1. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 1393.
3. DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, 81. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
4. Harra Covered Bridge, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-12-22.