Weddle Bridge

The Weddle Bridge is a 120-foot (37 m) long wooden covered bridge in Sweet Home, Oregon, United States.[4] The bridge originally spanned Thomas Creek near Scio but was replaced by a concrete bridge in 1980 and was scheduled to be destroyed in 1987. To save the bridge, local activists staged protests and persuaded former Oregon Senator Mae Yih to help save the bridge. The Oregon Legislative Assembly soon approved the Oregon Covered Bridge Program, which helped pay for covered bridge rehabilitation projects statewide. The Weddle Bridge was the first to receive grants from the program.[4]

Weddle Bridge
Weddle Covered Bridge
Location of the bridge in Linn County, Oregon
Weddle Bridge (the United States)
LocationSweet Home, Oregon, United States
Coordinates44°23′35″N 122°43′39″W
Built1937 (1990)
Architectural styleHowe truss
MPSOregon Covered Bridges TR
NRHP reference No.79002114[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 29, 1979[2]
Removed from NRHPJanuary 11, 1989[3]

In 1989, using grant funds as well as funds from local residents, a Sweet Home group called the Cascade Forest Resource Center rebuilt the Weddle Bridge across Ames Creek in Sankey Park.[4][5] Also assisting in the project were the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon, which raised additional funds, and the Jordan Bridge Company, which had built the Jordan Bridge in Stayton.[4]

The bridge was temporarily closed in 2005 after an engineering inspection determined that repairs were necessary. Proceeds from the Oregon Jamboree country music festival and donations of cash or building materials from several businesses and individuals made the repairs possible.[6] The bridge has been used for public events such as fundraisers for breast-cancer detection and related services or for private events such as weddings.[5][7]

The original bridge over Thomas Creek was named for a farmer who lived nearby, but it was also known as the Devaney Bridge for another early resident. Similar in design to other covered bridges along Thomas Creek, the Weddle Bridge featured a Howe truss, segmented portal arches, large side openings, and white board-and-batten siding.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon City County Management Association. November 10, 2005. p. 23. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  2. "Annual Listing of Historic Properties" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 18, 1980. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  3. "Weekly List of Listed Properties" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 19, 1989. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  4. "Ames Creek (Weddle) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  5. Lair, Patrick (September 28, 2005). "Weddle Bridge Closes". Albany Democrat–Herald. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  6. Lair, Patrick (October 5, 2006). "Plans in Place for Weddle Bridge". Albany Democrat–Herald. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  7. "Walk for the Cause Planned in Sweet Home". Albany Democrat–Herald. September 13, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  8. Smith, Dwight A.; Norman, James B.; Dykman, Pieter T. (1989) [1986]. Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon (2nd ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 190–91. ISBN 0-87595-205-4.
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