Troubled Bridges over The Shenandoah

The Meems Bottom Covered Bridge in Mt. Jackson is one of seven historic covered bridges remaining in the state of Virginia. It is a 204 ft. single-span Burr arch truss located off Rt. 11 on Wissler Rd. (Rt. 720) south of Mt. Jackson, Virginia [38°43'15.1"N78°39'18.5"W]. It was deeded to the Highway Department in the 1930's in return for assuming its maintenance. It carried traffic for more than 80 years before being burned by vandals on Halloween 1976. After salvaging the original timbers, the bridge was reconstructed and eventually undergirded with steel beams and concrete piers. It was reopened in 1979 and is in operation today.

In a day when the Federal Highway Administration classifies almost 20 percent of the US bridges to be "structurally deficient, it is no astonishment to learn that the Meems Bottom Covered Bridge is actually the fourth bridge across the North Fork of the Shenandoah River at this location. The first was constructed between 1867 and 1868 and then destroyed by a flood in 1870. A second was built by 1871 and underwent damaging floodwaters in 1877. In 1878 a third bridge was built which was replaced by the current structure in 1894 when the local people in a venture built a stronger, reliable bridge by 1871 constructed from materials cut and quarried nearby.  An early record in The Shenandoah Valley newspaper, noted, “It is a simple span, wood, covered bridge, well built in every particular—strong, durable, and substantial.”