Ohio Covered Bridges

The Benetka Bridge. 10/6/2025 dwm photo

The Benetka bridge was a short drive from .

But to get to this bridge meant turning down a one-lane gravel road and following it downhill, where we found a place to park under a tree by the river.

While the last bridge, Olin's, is said to be the only Ashtabula bridge named for a family that owned adjoining land near the bridge, and still does in 2025; the Benetka, is named for James Benetka, the grandfather of Marion Peck, who is quoted in "The Covered Bridges of Ashtabula County," by Carl E. Feather.

The site of the bridge was where one of the larger mills served Ashtabula county. A saw mill was built in 1829 to harness water-power for wood-cutting, and by 1840, hydro power was turning grain into flour.

Arches add strength to the bridge. 10/6/25 dwm

The Benetka is thought to have been built around 1900, but it's not certain. It's likely a bridge crossed the river after the first mill opened. In 1878, a wagon accident damaged the previous bridge, and it was washed downstream by a storm later that year.

This one could have been built as early as the 1870s or as late as 1920.

The bridge had work done in 1985, when laminated arches were added to provide additional support.