The Board of Public Works in Richmond, Virginia announced a competition for a bridge to be built over the Tyart River in the town of Philippi. Anyone could compete. Construction experts from all over the Eastern United States came to participate. Lemuel Chenoweth, a self-taught cabinetmaker from northwestern Virginia, was awarded the contract. Unlike the other participants, he had no blueprints, and his model was much simpler than the engineers. But he ingeniously proved his bridge was strong in a way the others could not. The bridge today is part of a federal highway-holding many times the load for which it was built.

This is a great story about an amazing bridge with interesting facts and attractive pictures. There are also descriptions of other covered bridges that have survived at the end of the story.
RL=2nd-4th and read aloud