Weddle Covered Bridge

Weddle Bridge
World guide number: 37-22-05

This bridge is now located in Sankey Park in downtown Sweet Home. It was reconstructed there in 1989-90. It now crosses Ames Creek which divides the city park from the playing fields just behind the High School.

This bridge is a Howe Truss design with a span of 120 feet and has the open sides that was very popular in Linn County. It was originally built in 1937 to span Thomas Creek in Northern Linn County, near the town of Scio. The bridge is named for a historic area family. It was bypassed by a concrete span in the early 1980's when it could no longer support the increasingly heavy loads after a main truss failed. The County did not provide any funds to repair the bridge and under protest from some County residents the bridge was dismantled and the framework and materials was stored in 1987. The city of Sweet Home obtained all of the salvaged materials from Linn County and restored the bridge on the Ames Creek site and finished the reconstructing in 1990. This was at a time when the historic and aesthetic value of covered bridges was just beginning to be realized. Weddle bridge has repaid both the Bridge Committee who got the work done and the City many times over for all their fine efforts in bringing back this valuable historic asset.

To visit this bridge turn South at the light on 12th and main street in Sweet Home. (U.S. Highway 20) Go two blocks to Kalmia Street and turn East. Continue two blocks and turn South on 14th Street and continue just over two blocks to Sankey Park. The bridge and the park are on the Right. (This route is signed at all the turns within the city.)