Polly #5 at Dents Run Covered Bridge (West Virginia)
Did you know that there are only seventeen covered bridges in West Virginia? Today, Polly found one of them, and it happens to be the only one in Monongalia County.
The Dents Run Covered Bridge was built in 1889 for less than $500 and is no longer open for traffic. The 13’x40′ structure sits approximately five miles from Morgantown, WV (Laurel Point area) and is just about a mile off of US Route 19 on the Kern’s Farm Road.
Inside the covered brige
The bridge is a registered historical landmark that was restored in 2004. In fact, a lot of progress has been made in the area. At one time, Dents Run ran orange due to acid mine drainage, and the stream’s waters and banks were literally lifeless. The same can be said for many nearby runs and creeks. Today, a deep pool below the bridge serves as a home to several fish, including bluegills and smallmouth bass.
Beautiful!
Naturally, Polly wanted to dive into the small, beautiful stream, but she had to settle for a nice view of a nearby pasture. Sadly, covered bridges are a rare sight, and Polly jumped at the chance to see Americana at its finest. She would like to leave you with three ribbits (or cheers will do) for history and all of the sites that allow us to glimpse into our past!
The Green Fields of Dents Run!
April 6th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I can’t imagine that a stream could be so polluted(in West Virginia) that nothing could live in it! That’s sad but I’m glad it was cleaned up. Nice pictures.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
As for different angles, there is a place to pull off in a car, but the bridge is surrounded by private property–mostly farmland. I would definitely want permission before snapping more pictures. I think more pictures are always better, and I agree with you 100%!
As to the color of the water back in the seventies… Yes, it literally looked like watered down orange soda was flowing in Dents Run and several other streams in the mining regions of West Virginia. The rocks were very badly stained, and there may still be some sign of that today.
In Preston County, WV there is a stream called Muddy Creek, and years ago a really bad mine leak flowed into it. Muddy Creek is a tributary of the Cheat River, and the pollution was so bad that an entire section of the river was pretty much lifeless. Thankfully, a lot of the pollution has been cleaned up! Fish–and my amphibian cousins–are doing well there today.
Thanks for the questions and comments, and Maddie’s Mom, yes, I’m always up for seeing another covered bridge. This was my first, but I hope to see many more.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
The water was orange? That doesn’t sound very good!
April 6th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Polly, did you know there is a covered bridge where I work in PA? I work for Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. We have a covered bridge on campus. You should come up and visit sometime.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Great post, but I would have loved to see more pictures of the bridge. (Different angles, etc.) Maybe you can take more!
Lots of great info!
April 8th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Dents Run flows into the Monongahela River in Granville, WV. The “Mon” used to really polluted as well, and the fishing was very poor. It was probably back in the late seventies or eighties that the river was cleaned up, and today it has a good bass, muskee, tiger muskee, white bass, catfish, etc. population.
A lot of the old mines have been reclaimed over the years, but there are a few slag heaps left over in “coal country.”
I can remember how ugly some of the streams near Morgantown were when I was a kid. It’s funny how “this” creek would be a total mess and “that” one (across a mountain or two) would be crystal clear and stocked with trout several times in the spring. It all depended on which direction a particular vein of coal ran.
I’m not saying that everything is “good-to-go.” A year or so back there was a HUGE fish kill on Dunkard Creek. I’m not sure of the source of the pollution, but the story brought back some bad memories, BUT Dents Run is definitely a success story.
December 14th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Nice post!
June 5th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Ive Pearl Berry was my Grandmother who lived just down the road from Dents run covered bridge. My Father worked many of the fields there. All us kids names are inside the bridge. My Father told us many great stories about the kids who enlisted in the military. They walked across that very same bridge to go to war. I’m so happy that it is being well taken care of.
Thank you
Bernadette Berry
Daughter of Robert V. Berry
June 5th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Bernadette,
The bridge is in great condition. It’s no longer open to automobile traffic, and I think that will help to keep it around a while longer. If you’ve been gone for a while, you’ll be pleased to know that Dents Run was cleaned up a good while back and now has fish in it. Covered bridges are pretty scarce these days, and I can’t think of a better place to have one. Thanks for the wonderful comment and information!
Polly #5
October 17th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Orange water? Seriously?
October 24th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Anonymous,
Seriously indeed. Check this out…
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coa.....oalfields/
October 24th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Sorry, I should have added that the stream in the third picture used to look a lot like the one in the link above. The transformation is amazing.
December 9th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Dear polly #5,
Did you enjoy your trip?
December 10th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Haylee,
Yes, it was a very nice trip. Frogs love streams and bridges!