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Cheat River, Preston County

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Inventory Number: WV/48-39-01x
County: Preston County
Township:
Town/Village: Macomber
Bridge Name: Cheat River
Crosses: Cheat River
Truss type: Wernwag
Spans: 2
Length: 339'
Roadway Width:
Built: c1834
Builder: Josiah Kidwell
When Lost: 23 May 1964
Cause: Arson
Latitude: N39 19.16
Longitude: W079 39.39
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: US50 south of Rowlesburg.

Cheat River Bridge, Macomber, Preston County, WV Built c1834 Burned 1964
Elna Johnson Collection

Cheat River Bridge, Macomber, Preston County, WV Built c1834 Burned May 1964
Todd Clark Collection

Cheat River Bridge, Macomber, Preston County, WV Built c1834 Arson 23 May 1964
Richard E. Roy Collection

Comments:
Double-barrel. Bypased 1934. It was originally a toll bridge. The West Virginia Highways article states that the bridge was built by Claudius Crozet who was involved with many major transportation projects in Virginia including the Northwestern Turnpike, now US50. On April 27, 1863, Gen. Jones of the Confederate army with 2000 men passed over the bridge and tore up the flooring on one side. It was two years before it was repaired. The bridge was painted red until 1931 when it was changed to battleship gray. Not to be confused with the single span Cheat Bridge in Randolph County.

Sources:
West Virginia Highways, November-December 1952, page 4
Auvil, Myrtle. Covered Bridges of West Virginia Past & Present, 1973, pages 29-30 & 127
Cohen, Stan. West Virginia's Covered Bridges, 1992, page 102
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume XXXIV, No. 3, Summer 1976, page 13
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume XXXIX, No. 3, Summer 1981, page 15.
Connecticut River Valley Covered Bridge Society. Bulletin, Volume XI, No. 1, Summer 1964, pages 11-12

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