Historic bridges and more are plenty in rural Vinton and Jackson counties in southern Ohio.
In Vinton County, the short-but-sweet Cox Covered Bridge, a covered Queenpost through truss over Brushy Fork, has been beautifully preserved. It was moved to its present-day location in 1992 and restored in 2004.
Elsewhere, the Bay Covered Bridge carries pedestrians over Lake Rupert, a pond at the county fairgrounds. It was constructed over Little Raccoon Creek in 1876 and relocated to the fairgrounds in 1967.
And nearby is the Mount Olive Road Covered Bridge, a covered Queenpost truss over the Middle Fork Salt Creek near Allensville. It was built in 1875, rehabilitated in 1963, and bypassed in 2000.
The Eakin Mill Covered Bridge, awaiting work to correct apparent structural damage from an overweight vehicle, carries Mound Hill Road over Big Raccoon Creek. It was built in 1870 by the McArthur contracting firm of Gilman & Ward, the crossing was built with multiple king posts to enable it to be significantly stronger than other bridges that often featured a single king post. The sturdiness was necessitated by the Eakin Mill, a busy gristmill along the Big Racoon Creek.
Three covered bridges in Jackson County were built by Robert W. Smith using his patent for the Smith through truss design. The Byer Covered Bridge, a covered Smith through truss, was constructed in 1872 and rehabilitated in 2003. It has unfortunately been a target of extensive graffiti.
Elsewhere, the Johnson Road Covered Bridge carries Johnson Road over the Brushy Fork Little Scioto River and was built in 1870, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and rehabilitated in 2000.
Finally, the Buckeye Furnace Covered Bridge formerly carried Buckeye Road over Little Raccoon Creek at Buckeye Furnace. It was constructed in 1872 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The crossing was later rehabilitated but taken out of service by 2010. It was functionally replaced by a modern concrete structure and the covered bridge moved to a temporary location in front of the company store at Buckeye Furnace.
