Staats Mill Covered Bridge, also known as Tug Fork Covered Bridge, is a historic wooden covered bridge near Ripley in Jackson County, West Virginia, United States. Built in 1887, the Staats Mill Covered Bridge originally crossed the Tug Fork of Big Mill Creek and was named for Enoch Staat's water-powered mill.
The Staats family were early settlers to the area, arriving around 1780. The bridge was built adjacent to Enoch Staat's mill and store and played an important role in the history and development of Jackson County. Construction of the bridge was handled by the Jackson County Court, which paid a total of $1,788.35 to local craftspeople for completion of the structure.
Nearly 100 feet long, the Staats Mill Covered Bridge was constructed using the Long system, patented by Stephen Long in 1830. The distinctive feature of Long trusses are the “X”-braced diagonals in each of the panels. This bridge has 11 such panels, each eight feet seven inches long and 14 feet, three inches deep. The bridge is an impressive and historically significant example of a late nineteenth century timber-covered bridge building.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
In 1983, the old bridge was moved to the FFA-FHA State Camp at Cedar Lakes, three miles from the original site and reconstructed across a pond at a cost of $104,000. It is in excellent condition and open to pedestrian traffic only.
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Famous quotes containing the words mill, covered and/or bridge:
“Up a lazy river by the old mill run, that lazy, lazy river in the noonday sun.”
—Sidney Arodin, U.S. songwriter. “Lazy River,” Peer International Corp. (1931)
“When my face turned toward his,
I averted it
and looked at my feet.
When my ears clamored
to hear his talk,
I stopped them.
When my cheeks broke out
in sweat and goosebumps,
I covered them with my hands.
But Friends,
when the seams of my bodice
burst in a hundred places,
what could I do?”
—Amaru (c. seventh century A.D.)
“I see four nuns
who sit like a bridge club,
their faces poked out
from under their habits,”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)