The 1932 Jackson Covered Bridge in Cumberland County, Illinois. At 200 feet, this Burr Arch bridge is the longest covered bridge in the state and spans the Embarras River. The bridge's width expands 14.1 feet, and it has a vertical clearance of 16 feet.

In 1865, the original was washed out and reconstructed in 1875, only to be washed out again in 1912. In 1920, the bridge was replaced once more and held out until 1996, when it was washed away yet again. In 2000, 177 years after the original Jackson Covered Bridge was constructed on this site, a new bridge now spans the Embarrass River. This structure re-creates an original covered timber bridge that once stood on this same site as part of the historic Cumberland "National" Road. It was built to replicate the original version from 1832.

To give an idea of the size and scope of the $2.8 million project, this bridge contains: the two abutment foundations totaled over 1,000 Cubic yards (over 2,000 tons in weight) of concrete. Enough to construct the foundations for approximately forty normal 2,000 square-foot homes.

The heavy timbers for the primary and secondary structural members totaled over 250,000 board feet (194 tons in weight of treated and glue-laminated lumber, enough to construct approximately thirty normal 2000 square foot single-story homes. There were approximately 40 tons of steel bolts and plates used to connect the timber structure.

Located at:  N39 14.327   W88 11.237        -        WGCB #13-18-01 #2

Photographed in May of 2023

Photos by Millard Farmer