The 1887 Staats Mill Covered Bridge, also known as Tug Fork Covered Bridge, in West Virginia. This historic wooden-covered bridge in Jackson County, West Virginia, originally crossed the Tug Fork of Big Mill Creek and was named for Enoch Staats' water-powered mill.

The Staats family were early settlers to the area, arriving around 1780. The bridge was built adjacent to Enoch Staats' mill and store and played an important role in the history and development of Jackson County. Construction of the bridge was handled by the Jackson County Court, which paid a total of $1,788.35 to local craftspeople for the completion of the structure.

Nearly 100 feet long, the Staats Mill Covered Bridge was constructed using the Long system, patented by Stephen Long in 1830. The distinctive feature of Long trusses is the "X"-braced diagonals in each of the panels. This bridge has 11 such panels, each 8 feet 7 inches long and 14 feet 3 inches deep. The bridge is an impressive and historically significant example of a late nineteenth-century timber-covered bridge building.

In 1983, the old bridge was moved to the FFA-FHA State Camp at Cedar Lakes, 3 miles from the original site, and reconstructed across a pond at a cost of $104,000. It is in excellent condition and open to pedestrian traffic only.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Located at:  N38 47.682    W81 41.221     -     WGCB #48-18-04

Photographed in September 2021