It’s over Smith River in Patrick County near Woolwine and was built in 1921.  It is owned by the Patrick County Historical Society and maintained by Patrick County.  It is closed to traffic, but open to the public.

            The Bob White Covered Bridge presumably got its name from the nearby Bob White Post Office (now defunct) although no one remembers how the post office happened to be named for a quail.

            The bridge was originally on the state highway system until it was bypassed by a new road and bridge in 1981.  The Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation transferred ownership to Patrick County which agreed to assume all liability and maintenance.  It is now closed to vehicular traffic but open to the public who can walk thru the bridge to the Smith River Church of the Brethren.

            This bridge is different from all of the historic covered bridges in Virginia.  First, it has two spans while all the others have one span.  Second, the building material is concrete for the substructure while the others use solid rubble or stacked stone blocks.  Third, the inside is diagonally sheathed covering the truss system.

            It wasn’t until 50 years later that the builder’s son “Ed” Weaver was contacted.  He said it was a Queenpost truss of laminated planks reinforced with diagonal rods.  Still there is no way to visually inspect the trusses to determine if repairs are necessary.

            The builder’s daughter, Annie Weaver Atkins carried lunch to the construction site.  She attended the Covered Bridge Festival at this bridge June 18, 2005.

            It is refreshing to meet people directly connected with the construction.  This bridge is affectionately referred to as “Woolwine’s Baby”.

            It was recorded with the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.