It’s over Dunlap Creek in Alleghany County and was built in 1857.  It is owned and maintained by VDOT on a wayside near Covington, is closed to traffic but open to the public.

            We are here at the oldest covered bridge in Virginia and the only one in the United States with the trussed arch design, sometimes called the “humped” design.

            Many errors exist because of lack of records and reliance on past accounts.  It was believed to have been built in 1835 by a Mr. Venable.  Folklore has it that Thomas Kincaid was Mr. Venable’s principal axe man whose job was to fell the oaks and hew the timbers by hand, and to shape the locust pins that would hold the multiple Kingpost members together.  Mr. Venable is said to be a contractor from “Lewisburg, West Virginia”.  Actually, West Virginia did not become a state until June 20, 1963.  So, perhaps the historical account should read “Lewisburg in Western Virginia”.  Incident to the 1835 date, some writings say that President Andrew Jackson crossed the bridge going to Sweet Springs, Virginia as did President Martin Van Buren who crossed on horseback.  Also, mention is made of the 1849 gold rush and of travelers taking refuge under the roof of old Humpback.  This was possible if the bridge was built in 1835 but since 1857 is the correct date the presidents were probably dead and it was rather late for the gold rush.  The four bridges built on this site before 1857 did not have the “humped” design.  Actually, these events probably did occur on this site but on one of the previous bridges.

            A lady in Portsmouth, Virginia, Nancy Kincaid, verified that Thomas McDowell Kincaid was born July 17, 1817.  It affirms the fact that he was eighteen years old when Mr. Venable built “a” bridge.  But it could not be Humpback with the help of Thomas Kincaid who by 1857 was forty years old.  It would be nice to determine which bridges Mr. Venable built to authenticate his contribution to bridges built in this area.

            Humpback Covered Bridge is a single span timber trussed arch, 83”-2 ½” face of backwall to face of backwall, 11”-7 ¾” extending over the wingwalls at each end measured horizontally.  It would be about 107 feet measured along the arch.

            Most accounts state that the arch rises eight feet from each end to the center.  VDOT was asked to survey it.  The rise was verified to be 4.1” not 8” as previously indicated. 

            The abutments are very long and very tall both assuring that the height and approach are sufficient to ensure and adequate opening for the volume of water created by a freshet.

            The Humpback Bridge carried traffic until 1929 when it was bypassed with a new modern steel truss structure several hundred feet north.  It stood derelict until 1953, leased by a farmer to store hay, until the Covington Business and Professional Women’s Club and the Covington Chamber of Commerce spearheaded an area fund drive to purchase the land and refurbish the badly deteriorated bridge.  Funds were to be matched by the Virginia Department of Highways.  The estimate was $6,000.

            It stands today on a five acre highway wayside and has been maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (as the Department is known today) since 1954.

           The Humpback Covered Bridge was placed on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Register in 1968 and on the National Register of Historic Place in 1969.

THOMAS KINCAID NOTES

Captain Thomas McDowell Kincaid (sitting)
            Born: July 17, 1817
            Died: February 12, 1899

Charles Ashby Kincaid, Son, (standing)
            Born: June 11, 1862
            Died: July 14, 1940

Thomas was the 18 year old axe man for Mr. Venable who built the Humpback bridge.  That has been confusing since later research has stated that the bridge was built in 1857 not 1835.  Venable may have built “a” bridge on that site but not with the help of Thomas Kincaid who was by then 40 years old.