Ohio Covered Bridges

Olin's Bridge nestled in a forest. 10/6/25 dwm

The map we used to find covered bridges in Ashtabulla county indicated the Olin's bridge was on Dewey Road.

When we reached the turn-off, we found a 'road closed' sign due to construction and saw a front-end loader and three county workers installing a guard rail to separate the road from a steep hill to the valley.

Since it appeared to be a small project, I got out of the car and approached the men to see how far I was from the bridge and explained that we traveled to the county to see all of them.

The foreman told me the bridge was at the bottom of the hill, and I could leave our car parked and walk down. I thanked him, walked back to the car to retrieve the camera and headed down to the Ashtabula River.

What we found at the top. 10/6/2025 dwm

The county's Covered Bridge Festival was a few days after our visit, so the crew was busy making sure the road would be open when the crowds arrived. Thankfully, for me, they idled the tractor when I walked around it, and let me take a dozen pictures.

The bridge's name comes from the family that's owned property next to it since it was built in 1873. It was renovated in 1985 and is still open to traffic.

At the bottom of the hill it was difficult to see the river unless you were on the bridge because trees and their foliage seemed to form a continuous wall with the bridge entry serving as a door to the other side.

The river and the bridge. 10/6/2025 dwm

There was a spot near the bridge where I found an opening to get a glimpse of the 100-foot-plus span.

This bridge is the only one in the county named for a family, which is different from many of the bridges we saw in Indiana, which frequently recognized the nearby landowners.

Thanks to the construction it was quieter than usual and with no traffic, I was able to walk across the connector of two river banks.

This was just the third of thirteen bridges we planned to see, so after getting my shots, I headed back uphill to the car and the next bridge which was just a few miles away, the Benetka.

Olin's Bridge

Built: 1873

Style: Town-Lattice Truss

Length: 115-feet over the Ashtabula River