Ca. 1850 Ashland Covered Bridge over the Red Clay Creek, also known as Barley Mill Road Covered Bridge in Ashland in New Castle County, Delaware. 

In 1965, when it was documented in the ‘Historic American Engineering Record’ survey, it was one of the last three surviving covered bridges in the state of Delaware.  

The original ‘Town Lattice’ Truss-covered bridge was built circa 1850.  The bridge deck was rehabilitated in 1964.  A complete rehabilitation and steel beams were added in 1982.  Rehabilitation of the stone foundation and replacement of the wooden roof, siding, and deck in 2008. The bridge is 52 feet long.

In 1937, there were over thirty-five covered bridges in Delaware, but by 1954, these historic bridges numbered only four, and today 2018, only two remain. 

This bridge is dedicated to the local residents and to the Delaware Nature Society’s Ashland Nature Center and its visitors as a source of inspiration and enjoyment.

In older wooden covered bridges their truss was structured using many smaller parts of wooden timbers.  The "King Post" truss is the simplest type with a simple, wooden truss forming the center, and panels are added symmetrically.  One of the more common methods used for achieving longer spans was the "Multiple Kingpost Truss. 

The "Queen Post" truss adds a horizontal top chord to achieve a longer span, but the center panel tends to be less rigid due to its lack of diagonal bracing.

Theodore Burr built a bridge spanning the Hudson River at Waterford, NY in 1804. By adding arch segments to a multiple kingpost truss, the "Burr 'Arch' Truss" was able to attain longer spans. His truss design was patented in 1817.  There were many of this type in the Pittsburgh area and they continue to be one of the most common types of covered bridges. Many later covered bridge truss types used an added arch based on the success of the "Burr Truss.

The first known covered bridge in America was designed by the Massachusetts millwright, Timothy Palmer.  It crossed the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia with a length of 550 feet interestingly enough, the bridge was not originally intended to be covered, but a suggestion from Judge Richard Peters, whose estate bordered the river at the bridge, was to handsomely roof, side, and paint the structure.  The idea was well received and so the painted and covered timber bridge became a common sight on American roads from Maine to Florida to Oregon. These bridges were constructed in the half of the 20th century for carriage and later auto use.

After the Civil War came during the age of Iron, at once covered bridges were thought to be old-fashioned.  Gradually and sadly they were replaced, even though most were perfectly sound.  Pennsylvania, oddly enough, bucked this trend.  The iron-smelting giant felt that its wrought iron and steel beams were fine for other states' bridges, but at home, Pennsylvanians took pride in the romance and character of the timber-covered bridges and continued to build them.  At the height of the bridge-building period, 1830-1880, estimates show that Pennsylvania had the most in the country, with at least 1500, representing all of the major truss designs. Thus, today the state has the most remaining covered bridges in the US, with 212 spread throughout 37 counties.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.  

Located at:  N39 47.895   W75 39.472     -     WGCB #08-02-02

Photographed in 2008.