The Burfordville Covered Bridge is one of four surviving covered wooden bridges in Missouri and the oldest

Burfordville Covered Bridge in Burfordville, Missouri.Parker Botanical, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The oldest covered wooden bridge in Missouri is located in Burfordville off of State Highway HH which is off of Missouri Route 34. It’s seven miles west of Jackson, Missouri. You can walk across the bridge, but it’s no longer considered passable for vehicles.

The contractor in the area, Joseph Lansmon possibly built it for a private toll road company. He is given credit for building the bridge. The bridge crosses over the Whitewater River.

It's believed construction began in 1858 because that year is carved into one of the pillars. It's not certain if the bridge was built before or after the Civil War. There was a mill next to the bridge. After the Civil War, farmers would use the bridge to get their grain to the Bollinger Mill.

The privately operated toll road ran through the bridge. The tolls were levied until 1906. That's when farmers started breaking down barriers and going on the roads without paying tolls. In 1932, once Missouri Route 34 was open, the bridge wasn't needed. In 1970, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

There are four surviving bridges in Missouri. The Burfordville Bridge is the oldest one. The other three bridges are listed below:

• Locust Creek Covered Bridge (1868)
• Union Covered Bridge (1870)
• Sandy Creek Covered Bridge (1872)

The Bollinger Mill State Historic Site which includes the covered bridge is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bollinger Mill near Jackson, Missouri (photo taken with use of an old vehicle).Trint Williams from Springfield, MO, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The mill and covered bridge are preserved and owned by the state. After a park was established in 1967, tours of the mill were offered. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources oversees and manages the property.

The covered bridge movement began in the eastern United States and migrated westward in the 1800s with the shifting frontier. (Source.)

When construction of the bridge began, it took years to complete due to the Civil War. Burfordville was established in 1868 about the same time that George Frederick Bollinger was building his mill.

As the bridge was part of a toll road, it did have a toll booth on the east end. At the turn of the century, the bridge was in need of repair. In 1908, the county repaired the bridge and in 1950, a metal roof was added.

In 1967, the mill was donated to the state and the Missouri State Park system started maintaining the four covered bridges in the state. In 1971, the bridge was restored and the metal roof was replaced with wooden shingles.

The Burfordville covered bridge is adjacent to the mill and included in the State Historic Site.Drowzy at en.wikipedia, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Interestingly, the Whitewater River rose over the deck of the bridge in 1986. This caused damage to the bridge which closed it to any kind of traffic. In 1998, necessary repairs were made and the bridge reopened only to pedestrian traffic.

Missouri's surviving covered bridges serve as a reminder of simpler times, when journeys down life's road, or any road, were taken at a slower pace. (Source.)

Have you ever wondered why we have covered bridges anyway? While it makes logical sense that it could provide a place for horses and travelers to escape poor weather, the practical reason is that the cover kept the structure of the bridge itself protected from weather elements.

Thank you for reading.