It’s over the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in Shenandoah County between New Market and Mt. Jackson.  It was built in 1894, burned October 28, 1976 and restored in the fall of 1979.  It is owned and maintained by VDOT and is open to traffic.

            Meem’s Bottom Covered Bridge has a history of errors.  It is said that the first bridge on this site was burned by General Stonewall Jackson ahead of the Union Forces in 1862.  No bridge was burned at this site by Jackson.  The one he ordered burned was two miles north over the North Fork of the Shenandoah River on the Valley Pyke one mile southwest of Mt. Jackson where the Iron Bridge is today.  The second bridge on this site was destroyed by the great flood of 1870 which reportedly washed away all the bridges that crossed the Shenandoah River.

            Just when Franklin Hiser Wissler gained ownership of the farm is unknown.  He had the bridge built to eliminate several miles of accessing his properties in a roundabout manner.  He owned iron furnaces in Liberty and Columbia and was the first farmer to harvest apples commercially in Shenandoah County.

            He probably engaged John W. B. Woods, a master bridge builder to construct the bridge on private property.  The design selected was a burr arch-truss of 182’-10” clear span between abutment faces with 10’-4” extended over the abutment wingwalls making a total length of 203’-6”.  It is 19’-2” wide.

            The bridge stayed in the Wissler family until the late 1920’s.  It was then deeded to the county in exchange for maintenance.  In 1932 the Virginia Department of Highways (as the Department was known at that time) acquired the bridge from the county and continued to maintain it in good repair.

            On October 28, 1976 at about 9:00 pm, disaster struck!  The bridge was burned and the superstructure virtually destroyed by vandals.  Firemen brought the blaze under control within one hour.  The sides were burned to the decking, the flooring burned beyond repair, the roof was charred, and the side trusses had lost 1 ½” on all sides, thus reducing the strength of the truss to questionable limits.

            Local officials and historic organizations pressed vigorously to have the bridge restored rather than be replaced with a modern concrete structure.  The General Assembly of Virginia directed the Virginia Department of Transportation to rebuild and restore the bridge in such a manner as to maintain its historical significance.

            Ship lap splice joints, mortise tenon joints and keyed butt joints were fitted tightly together.  Repair of this truss was to be a problem of great magnitude for the Department.  An extensive structural analysis was made which provided the basis for the renovation design procedures.

            The repairs were too numerous to go into at this time, but heavy emphasis was placed on pressure treated lumber with fire retardant varnishes and terne coated stainless steel roofing were used for maximum fire protection and to minimize maintenance.

            The renovation project cost was $240,000, the first covered bridge built with Virginia Department of Highways funds.  This was in the fall of 1979.  It was restored as a single span burr arch-truss with a posted capacity lowered to 8 tons.  It looked just like the original structure from the inside.

            Then in 1982-83 the bridge was closed due to a broken floor beam.  The bridge became a four span structure, however, three steel rolled beams the length of the bridge were added along with three new piers.  The repairs cost $140,000.  It no longer looked like the original on the outside, but it still looks like the original on the inside.

            In 1993 the Virginia Department of Transportation assumed maintenance of the road leading to the bridge.  It is the longest timber covered bridge in Virginia and the only one bearing vehicular traffic on the state system.

            It was recorded with the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission and the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The Department has done a fine job of preserving this structure.