Mechanicsville Road Bridge is a covered bridge spanning the Grand River in Austinburg Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The bridge, one of currently 17 drivable bridges in the county, is the longest single-span covered bridge in the county and is believed to be the oldest in the county as well. The 156-foot bridge is a Howe truss design, with laminated arches added during its renovation in 2003-04. The arch is 15 layers of 2x8 lumber and is encased by large beams from the X's of the Howe truss. This bridge was renovated and opened to traffic in the fall of 2003.

A ghost town today, in the 1830s Mechanicsville, was a thriving mill town that took advantage of the water power offered by the Grand River. According to the Williams Brothers History of Ashtabula County, the town had a grist mill, sawmill, oil mill, and other works. These were owned by Dr. Orestes K. Hawley and Joab Austin.

In 1831, the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry was chartered and Mechanicsville was chosen as the location of this school. The school would be a manual labor institute where the young men would work in the mills while preparing for the ministry or other higher callings. A similar school had been established at Oberlin, and when that school’s census in 1836 exceeded the school’s capacity, Mechanicsville absorbed the overflow of about 30 young men.

Students overran Mechanicsville but they could not run the mills. The school flourished, however, and with a grant of $25,000 from Joab Austin, the institute was moved to Austinburg. It remains there today as Grand River Academy.

The mills later burned in a conflagration that illuminated the night sky for many miles. It was said that the light was so bright as far away as Madison that one could read a watch dial from the distant glow.

Dimensions: Length of largest span: 155.8 ft.;  total length: 160.1 ft.;  deck width: 16.1 ft.;  vertical clearance above deck: 10.0 ft.

Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Located at:  N41 45.289    W80 53.879     -     WGCB #35-04-18

Photographed in May 2022