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Pisgah Bridge Fact Sheet
- Built in 1911 by J.J. Welch, the original construction cost of the 51-foot bridge was $40.
- In the early 1900s, Randolph County was well known for its covered bridges. There were at least 60 recorded from the 1930s, representing about half the total number in the Piedmont.
- But by the end of the 1950s, only three of the bridges remained. Today the Pisgah Covered Bridge is one of only two left in the entire state and the only one that is easily accessible to the public.
- Efforts to maintain the Pisgah Covered Bridge go back at least 20 years, but continued vandalism, partly as a result of easy nighttime parking and its remote location, made the bridge a target for weekend revelers. This activity brought the bridge somewhat into disrepute, particularly with local residents, who until recently saw the bridge as something of a liability.
- Since a protective road barrier was installed to limit nighttime parking and landowners Brye and Lena Baker volunteered to operate a gate to the site, vandalism has been dramatically reduced.
- In completing restoration of the Bridge, the N. C. Department of Transportation replaced the bridge’s tin roof with wood shingles. Although the original specifications of 1911 have not been found, press reports in the 1930s and 1950s strongly imply that the original roof was a shingle roof and that tin was used as a replacement when the bridge was routinely repaired, probably in the late 1930s.
- Just downstream from the bridge is the Pisgah community baptismal pool, which is part of the walking trail at the site. The trail is also wheelchair accessible. The trail proceeds over a series of footbridges and returns over rougher landscape on the west side of the creek to create a circuit that includes the covered bridge itself.