Picturesque: The Beeson covered bridge was built in 1906 by Franklin Construction Co. It crossed the Roaring Creek, but was moved to Billie Creek in 1980. -- Photo by Bob Poynter

Covered bridges, often referred to as historic relics and used by writers as a background for romance novels, may offer a solution to constructing cost-effective durable spans today and for future generations.

Ben Hill, a Parke County native involved with bridges for 40 years, says covered wood spans outlast bridges made of concrete or steel, and can be built for the same cost or less.

Hill, 69, an estimator for White Construction Co. of Clinton, designed and built a covered bridge on his property southeast of St. Bernice.

"I cleared the other side and mowed it," he said. "I made the bridge so I can drive my truck to the other side and take mowing equipment over there. That's the only way I have to get to the other side of the stream. I love covered bridges."

Replacing a concrete or steel bridge with a new covered bridge isn't as farfetched as one might think.

A covered bridge designed by John Smolen, an Ashtabula County, Ohio, engineer, and manufactured by Sentinel Structures Inc. of Peshtigo, Wis., was knocked down, shipped and reassembled at a site near his home in 1998. Federal money allocated for timber structures paid for this bridge.

Smolen claims the wood bridges are lighter weight than steel and are cost competitive with other materials. A major factor in timber bridges' durability and staying power is that they aren't affected by rust or subject to corrosion from road salt, he said.

Jefferson County, Ohio, boasts 12 historic covered bridges that date back to 1868 and the 2-year-old timber bridge, and county officials hope to build more, Smolen said.

When bridge replacement is needed in Parke County, the commissioners will be looking at how a covered bridge will fit, said Anne Lynk, executive secretary of Parke County Inc., coordinator of the Covered Bridge Festival.

The appeal of covered wood spans proven to withstand the test of time is attracting the attention of county officials in other rural communities.

In Greenup, Ill., a covered timber bridge spanning 200 feet recently was completed. County officials hope to dedicate the structure this month.

Morey Rhude, president and owner of Sentinel Structures Inc. is proud to say his company also fabricated that covered bridge. He said the timbers are laminated to provide the strength needed for the structure.

"You can't find trees today long enough or strong enough to cut 40- to 60-feet-long timbers to meet weight load requirements," Rhude said. "We've even furnished laminated lumber to repair some of Parke County's Covered bridges."

Longevity and durability are the reasons some communities are replacing concrete or steel spans with new wooden ones. The nostalgic appearance and lower maintenance costs are reasons to consider wood as opposed to concrete, Hill said.

"I'm not saying every bridge should be made of wood," he said. "We do need to preserve our heritage."

Prefabrication of covered bridges isn't a new idea.

Hill believes J.J. Daniels, who built many Parke County bridges, prefabricated the timber structures he constructed at a fabrication location and then hauled them to the job site, he said.

"All parts on bridges built by J.J. Daniels are interchangeable," he said.

Most bridge abutments in Parke County are sandstone and were built by separate contractors. These craftsmen placed the stones on two layers of timbers, Hill said. He said the timbers are placed at a lower elevation than the low water elevation of the stream so they would not dry out and rot.

"When they were built, the water table was higher than it is today," he said. "Today some are susceptible to rotting because the of the wet/dry cycle."

Years after Hill's affinity for covered bridges surfaced, he learned Katie Hill, his sister-in-law, is the granddaughter of Joseph A. Britton. Among the Parke County bridges Britton built are The Thorp Ford Bridge, The Roseville/Coxville Bridge and The Leatherwood Station Bridge.

The oldest bridge in the county is the Crooks Bridge, built in 1856 over a branch of Little Raccoon Creek. Many concrete bridges and several steel ones built at a later date already have been replaced once or twice, according to commissioner's record books.

"I've seen the demise of the light steel truss bridges like the Whipple Trusses," Hill said. "They are gone. There is one in Parke County. The same thing would have happened to the covered bridges if the public hadn't stepped forward in the 1950s and recognized their historic value."