Brubaker - 1887
The Brubaker Covered Bridge runs across Sandy Run, to the west-northwest of Gratis Township, Preble County, Ohio. It is 85 feet in length and was built in 1887 by Everett S. Sherman. This Childs Truss bridge was constructed on Aukerman Creek Road at the cost of $986, with the abutments built by T.J. Smith for $1,422. The original design of the bridge featured an entirely closed siding but it was opened during a later renovation to allow for improved sight distances because of the curvature of the roadway approaches.
Preliminary work on the restoration of the Brubaker Covered Bridge began by the county engineering department in 2001. The project was initially approved for the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program, for which 80% of the cost would be covered by federal funds, but the federal funds were withdrawn because of the War in Iraq. Because of the efforts of Linda Bailiff of the Office of Local Assistance, the Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to provide $237,600 in state funding and $92,400 in PCEO funding for the renovation.
The crossing was closed and rehabilitated in 2005 and 2006 by The Righter Company, Gresham Smith & Partners, and Vital Signs, with the final walk-through conducted on June 21, 2006. The weight limit on the crossing was subsequently raised from five tons to 12 tons.
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on June 11, 1975
Located at: N39 39.093 W84 32.635 - WGCB #35-68-06
Photographed in May 2022