To make sure grain, corn, and other goods got to where they needed to go, bridges were needed to make that happen. One of the earliest bridges in Illinois was the first bridge across Sugar Creek, built about 1827 by Thomas Black and his neighbors who felt the need for something more than a ford. It was a wooden bridge but not a covered one.

When the era of bridge-building reached the state, the Illinois legislature enacted a law in 1840 that empowered road commissioners of the various townships to build roads, set up ferries, and erect bridges. As public funds were often inadequate in some areas, provisions were made for private capital and public subscriptions to make up for the deficiency in funds. When private capital entered the project the spans became toll bridges.

More covered bridges were found in Sangamon County than in any other county in the state. The earliest toll bridge across the Sangamon River is dated January 24, 1832. Typically rates charged for toll bridges were: an ordinary two-horse wagon paid 20 cents; additional animals were assessed five cents each; a man and horse, five cents; each hog or sheep, two cents or in large droves half the rate. There were also night rates which simply doubled the daylight charges.

In 1836 the state asked Sangamon County to build a free bridge over the Sangamon River at or near Stephenson's ferry on the road from Peoria to Springfield. This bridge was to be at least twenty feet wide and paid for by Sangamon County from taxes levied for that purpose. Other bridges that were built could be paid for in the same way. In March of 1843, permission was granted to build a free bridge across the Sangamon River on the Peoria to Springfield road on piers that were already standing.

Currently, nine covered bridges are still standing in Illinois. The locale of these nine bridges does not follow any definite pattern, as they are scattered throughout the state. Casualties in bridges were high in the years between 1952 and 1958 with eight disappearing from the Illinois scene between the years 1952 and 1958. Three of them were ordered abandoned in just one year in Brown County, where the county board of supervisors authorized steel and concrete structures to replace them. These abandoned bridges included the Vomer, McGee Creek, and the Star Bridge. Another bridge casualty in 1955 was the Jack's Mill Bridge, a historic structure located near Gladstone. This bridge was in the news in 1924 when it survived a tornado, although its roof was ripped off and had to be replaced. In later years it was allowed to fall into disrepair and was open only to pedestrian traffic. Sentiment to save this bridge would have crystallized but the Oquawkabridge, only six miles away, was considered adequate for covered bridge hobbyists in the western side of Illinois.

Other spans that were demolished in Illinois in the six-year period include the Salt Fork Bridge, the Conkeytown Bridge, and one old unused span in Pike County. Historical data is lacking on many of the bridges, but it is known that most of them were erected between the years 1848 to 1880.

The nine remaining covered bridges in Illinois have not only withstood the elements for well over a century but have also weathered the demands to tear them down and replace them with modern structures. These nine bridges are the survivors of an estimated 100 to 200 spans that once served the state. Many legends also surround these bridges. One legend has it that the Little Mary's Bridge, near the city of Chester, was the scene of several crimes, including stagecoach robberies.

Photographed in May of 2023