There Is A Unique Man-Made Wonder Hiding In This Small Town In Ohio
By Sarah McCosham|Published November 21, 2023
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
Ohio is home to lots of record-breaking man-made wonders that check off all sorts of superlatives. We have the World’s Largest Basket and the World’s Largest Rubber Stamp. We have sprawling “Cornhenge” fields and larger-than-life horseshoe crabs. Today’s adventure is on the other end of the superlative spectrum; a man-made wonder that’s one of the smallest roadside attractions in the state. Come along to the small town of Geneva, Ohio, to visit the world’s smallest covered bridge. Just don’t blink while you’re crossing it!
There are lots of places that fall into the "blink and you'll miss it" category. A delicious strip-mall restaurant or a hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint. A small side street or off-the-beaten-path trail.
But a covered bridge? Those are generally pretty noteworthy... especially in a place like Ashtabula County, which is known as Ohio's Covered Bridge Capital!
This region of northeast Ohio is flush with charming covered bridges. Of the county’s 18 bridges open to traffic, 12 are historic structures, and six are modern versions.
One of those modern covered bridges is the West Liberty Street Covered Bridge, which opened in 2011 as a fix for a damaged culvert. At just over a decade old, this bridge is noteworthy for more than its nascent age.
Covered bridge enthusiasts will appreciate the structure of this man-made wonder, too. The bridge is supported by a single Kingpost and its roof is a Scissor Truss which gives the bridge a lighter, open feeling. The roof has a more pronounced slope than a typical timber covered bridge. This, along with the extended overhangs, eaves and rakes, give the bridge a "floating" appearance that's truly one-of-a-kind.
While this man-made bridge is located in a county that's home to numerous bridges noted for their impressive breadth and noteworthy history, the West Liberty Street Covered Bridge is as charming as any of its superlative siblings, and definitely worth a visit the next time you find yourself in this small Ohio town!
