The 1889 Dents Run Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Dents Run Covered Bridge, located near Laurel Point in Monongalia County, was constructed by W. A. Loar and William and Joseph Mercer in 1889 and spans Dents Run. It is one of the smallest extant covered bridges in West Virginia and the only extant covered bridge in Monongalia County. The bridge is of Kingpost truss construction and measures 12 feet and 10 inches wide and 40 feet long.  The bridge has been modified slightly over the years and no longer serves vehicle traffic. As the last covered bridge standing in Monongalia County, it was erected by order of Monongalia County Court; the stone abutments and wood framework construction costs totaled $448!

The bridge measures forty feet long and nearly thirteen feet wide. The bridge is one of the smallest surviving covered bridges in West Virginia and the only one in Monongalia County. The bridge utilizes a kingpost truss design. The Fish Creek Covered Bridge is the only other remaining West Virginia covered bridge to use a kingpost truss.

Prior to 1970, the West Virginia Department of Highways added steel I-beams under the bridge to help support traffic. Despite this strengthening, a controversy arose in 1972, when the Dippel and Dippel Coal Company expressed interest in using the bridge to transport coal. Local residents fought against this use and the company was forced to build an adjacent concrete bridge instead. These days, the bridge supports no vehicle traffic and exists solely as a historical foot traffic structure.

By 1981, it was one of only 17 covered bridges still surviving in West Virginia.

Length of largest span: 39.0 ft.
Total length: 42.0 ft.
Deck width: 11.5 ft.

Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on June 4, 1981.

Located at:  N39 37.437   W80 02.422     -     WGCB #48-01-02

Photographed in September 2021.