May 20, 2019 2 min read

Bridge builder’s tools

The tools pictured belonged to Arthamer Ames (1831-1901). He was a local craftsman who lived near Finleyville and is said to have been a bridge builder. He was a blacksmith in the Ringgold Cavalry.

In 1801, near Philadelphia, Thomas Palmer had built a bridge that a neighbor suggested he cover for aesthetic reasons. It soon became obvious that this was a good idea, as the lifespan of the bridge deck was increased three-fold.

Folklore has it that covered bridges were designed to calm the fears of livestock being herded across streams or that they were to protect passengers from inclement weather or to provide a convenient spot for a young beau to steal a kiss from his lady friend, thus the term “kissing bridge.”

This method of prolonging the life of a bridge became very popular between 1830 and 1880 with more than 1,500 built in Pennsylvania, and as many as 300 in Washington County.

With the advent of steel bridges around the time of the Civil War, the covered bridge soon became a relic of the past. Most of the bridges in Washington County were washed away during significant flooding in 1888.

Today there are only 212 covered bridges left in Pennsylvania, with 25 of them here in Washington County.

The tools were donated to the Washington County Historical Society by Kay Stepp, great-grandson of Ames.

Bracken Burns is president of the Washington County Historical Society Board of Directors.