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philippi2-1999.tif
PHILIPPI COVERED BRIDGE
Also known as the Lemuel Chenoweth Bridge after it’s builder, Philippi Bridge was constructed at a cost of about $12,180 in 1852. Lemuel and Eli Chenoweth of Beverly built the superstructure and Emmett J. O’Brien was the masonry contractor. It nearly burned to the ground in February 1989, and was completely restored and opened to traffic in the summer of 1991.
The span was built to facilitate use of the Beverly and Fairmont Road, which had been built in turn to stimulate use of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike.
One of six two-lane covered bridges remaining in the United States; it is the only one that still serves federal highway traffic – US route 250.
It is believed to have escaped destruction during the Civil War because Union troops secured it early in the war. Used by both Northern and Southern troops, it is sometimes recognized as the site of the first land battle of the Civil War.
This bridge is located at the junction of US routes 119 and 250 in Philippi, WV.