Covered bridges were built to withstand the tests of time by skilled craftsmen. The bridges were covered to protect their trusses from weathering. Without the protection, the wood would easily rot away.

In the United States, Ohio is second only to Pennsylvania in the number of authentic covered bridges still standing. Today, there's 127 "authentic" covered bridges remaining in Ohio. However, that's only a fraction of the number that once existed. In the 1800's, there was roughly 4,000 covered bridges in the state.