Qualla: Philippi Covered Bridge https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge en-us © 2026 Bendyline Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:40:07 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/z/n/philippi-covered-bridge-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Philippi Covered Bridge https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge Philippi Covered Bridge: Introduction https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge/ Photo credit Valerius Tygart, CC BY-SA 3.0. In Richmond, Virginia, sometime around 1850, a man named Lemuel Chenoweth stood on his own bridge model to win a contract. The bidders had gathered at the General Assembly to compete for bridge construction in western Virginia. Some had brought elaborate iron designs and elegant wire-cable concepts. Others showed off polished and enameled wooden models built to impress. Chenoweth, an Appalachian bridge builder from Beverly, brought a plain hickory model. When his turn came, he set the model on two chairs - one end resting on each - and stood on it. Then he asked the other architects to do the same with theirs. None would. Their models would have crushed. The Board of Public Works gave Chenoweth the contract. The bridge he built at Philippi in 1852 is still standing.

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Image: Valerius Tygart | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/z/n/philippi-covered-bridge-wp/dnzn-philippi-covered-bridge-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Philippi Covered Bridge: Double-Barreled and Built to Last https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge/ Photo credit Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Philippi Covered Bridge is 285 and a half feet long today (originally 312 feet) and 26 feet wide. Chenoweth built it as a 'double-barreled' bridge - two lanes side by side under a single roof, separated by a center truss - one of very few such configurations to survive in the...

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Image: Chris Light | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/z/n/philippi-covered-bridge-wp/dnzn-philippi-covered-bridge-double-barreled-and-built-to-last.mp3 0:06 2 full Philippi Covered Bridge: The First Bridge Captured https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge/ Photo credit Hu Maxwell, Public domain. On June 3, 1861, the bridge entered the Civil War. Confederate troops camped in Philippi used it overnight. Union forces under Colonels Kelley and Dumont attacked at dawn after marching all night through rain. The retreating Confederates ran across the bridge into the hills - the...

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Image: Hu Maxwell | Public domain

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/z/n/philippi-covered-bridge-wp/dnzn-philippi-covered-bridge-the-first-bridge-captured.mp3 0:06 3 full Philippi Covered Bridge: Surviving the Twentieth Century https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge/ Photo credit Benlikeshotchocolate, CC BY-SA 3.0. The bridge has been severely damaged at least seven times over its long life. In 1934, the wood deck was replaced with steel-reinforced concrete, and two more piers were added beneath - five total - to handle motorized traffic. An external walkway was added for pedestrians. The b...

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Image: Benlikeshotchocolate | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/z/n/philippi-covered-bridge-wp/dnzn-philippi-covered-bridge-surviving-the-twentieth-century.mp3 0:06 4 full Philippi Covered Bridge: The Only One on U.S. 250 https://qualla.com/philippi-covered-bridge/ Photo credit Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Philippi Covered Bridge is the oldest and longest covered bridge in West Virginia, and the only covered bridge anywhere on the United States Numbered Highway System - traffic on U.S. Route 250 still crosses it. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972....

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Image: Chris Light | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/n/z/n/philippi-covered-bridge-wp/dnzn-philippi-covered-bridge-the-only-one-on-u-s-250.mp3 0:06 5 full