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| Mary's River Covered Bridge - Chester, Illinois 7/10/2021 dwm photo |
Chester is an hour south of St. Louis, Missouri on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
It was built in 1854, part of plank road between Chester and the nearby town of Breman and used continuously through 1930.
The state acquired the bridge and surrounding land in 1936 to create a picnic site and preserve local history.
The bridge stands in its original location, a few hundred feet away from the paved lanes of Illinois State Highway 150.
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| The bridge was re-built in 2004 and dedicated in 2005. 7/10/21 dwm photo |
There is plenty of room to take pictures from a variety of angles although I recommend caution if you want to get closer to the river for some shots. The day of our visit the heavy sand was secure but there wasn't a clear, safe path of descent.
A good number of original boards and beams still hold the bridge up and support the light load of pedestrian traffic it carries today.
I can't give you a percentage, but thought the historic sign covered the bases, "All of the timber in the bridge is original with the exceptions of the floor, floor joist, roof and siding."
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| The 86-foot bridge invites travelers on two feet to walk across the old bridge. 7/10/21 (dwm) |
Since I don't know the names for each part of a bridge I can't tell you what's left after you leave out the floor and its support beams (the joists); the roof and siding.
I'm thankful both the state and local authorities preserved the bridge in its original setting.
This is the only surviving historic bridge in southern Illinois. Compared to others I've visited, the Mary River's bridge is popular - we saw four other carloads of bridge enthusiasts stop to admire, photograph, and experience it.
You can see more Illinois covered bridges plus bridges in Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin by clicking this link.
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