Covered Bridges of Frederick County, Maryland

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Frederick County, Maryland, has three covered bridges. Located between Frederick and Thurmont, visiting them makes for a nice daytrip. Well, we'd actually seen one of the bridges in August. Now in the fall, we were back to see the other two. All three are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All continue to carry vehicular traffic.

North of Frederick, Maryland, along US Highway 15, the route to the covered bridges trail is marked at the exit for Old Frederick Road. The road leads to Utica Road, where the Utica Covered Bridge is found. The Utica Covered Bridge is thought to date to 1860. It was moved to this location, across Fishing Creek, in 1891 after it was washed out of its original location spanning ht Monocacy River. It is the longest of the three, at 101 feet (31 m).

Next was the Loys Station Covered Bridge. The route from Utica followed the Old Frederick Road through Creagerstown to Owen's Creek and the bridge. A nice park has been developed next to the bridge, permitting parking and a safe inspection of it. The bridge was built in 1848, though it has been restored over time. A Civil War interpretive marker at the park tells that the bridge saw the passing of Union troops in June and July 1863, before and after the Battle of Gettysburg. Two young women we had seen at the Utica bridge were also here. They asked if there were more covered bridges to see and we gave them direction to the Roddy Road Covered bridge, nearer to Thrumont.

Out drive took us next in the direction of Thurmont. We passed through the interesting community of Graceham, Maryland. The community had been founded in 1746 by Moravian settlers from Pennsylvania. We have visited Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the center of the Moravian church in the United States, but I did not know there had been a settlement in Maryland. The village is dominated by Graceham Moravian Church, built in 1822. The church includes a connected parsonage and meeting house (Gemeinhaus) established in 1797. The cupola on the church is very much like the cupola of the Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem.

The Roddy Road Covered Bridge is north of Thurmont. It's the smallest of the Frederick County covered bridge at 40 feet (12 m). I think it is in the most picturesque setting, spanning the same Owen’s Creek but with many trees and stone walls to set it off. A park has also be built here were one can pull off the rod and walk safely up tot he bridge. Picnic tables allow for a pleasant outing to the the site and, during our visit, a family was fishing in the creek under the bridge.

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Photos

Utica Covered Bridge
Utica Covered Bridge. The Utica Road Covered Bridge is a Burr Truss wooden covered bridge. One of three covered bridges in Frederick County, Maryland. Originally built about 1860, it spanned the Monocacy River at the Devilbiss Bridge crossing. An 1889 flood damaged the bridge and the surviving half was moved to cross Fishing Creek in 1891.
Utica Covered Bridge. National Register of Historic Places 78003174. DSC_1050

Utica Covered Bridge
Utica Covered Bridge. Burr Arch Truss and kingpost construction. The Utica Road Covered Bridge is a Burr Truss wooden covered bridge. One of three covered bridges in Frederick County, Maryland. Originally built in 1834, it spanned the Monocacy River at the Devilbiss Bridge crossing. An 1889 flood damaged the bridge and the surviving half was moved to cross Fishing Creek in 1891.
Utica Covered Bridge. National Register of Historic Places 78003174. IMG_2901

Utica Covered Bridge
Utica Covered Bridge. The Utica Road Covered Bridge is a Burr Truss wooden covered bridge. One of three covered bridges in Frederick County, Maryland. Originally built in 1834, it spanned the Monocacy River at the Devilbiss Bridge crossing. An 1889 flood damaged the bridge and the surviving half was moved to cross Fishing Creek in 1891.
Utica Covered Bridge. National Register of Historic Places 78003174. DSC_1056

Bank Barn
Bank Barn with stone and wooden board construction. Frederick County, Maryland. Utica Road. DSC_1055

Loys Station Covered Bridge
Loys Station Covered Bridge across Owen's Creek in Frederick County, Maryland. Multiple king post wooden covered bridge originally built in 1848. Reinforced with a concrete pier and steel beams in 1928-1930 and restored in 1994. Old Frederick Road.
Loys Station Covered Bridge. National Register of Historic Places 78003175.
DSC_0002

Loys Station Park
The Civil War and Frederick Road. Interpretive marker at Loys Station Park. IMG_2910

Loys Station Covered Bridge
Loys Station Covered Bridge across Owen's Creek in Frederick County, Maryland. Multiple king post wooden covered bridge originally built in 1848. Reinforced with a concrete pier and steel beams in 1928-1930 and restored in 1994. Old Frederick Road.
Loys Station Covered Bridge. National Register of Historic Places 78003175.
DSC_1058

Graceham Moravian Church. 8231 Rocky Ridge Road.
"Graceham Moravian Church, now covered with white stucco because of deteriorated masonry, is a 2-story church, built in 1822 of local brick laid in Flemish bond. The three-bay long church was built as an addition of about the same size to the eastern gabled end at the rear of the four-bay long meeting house and parsonage of 1797. ... Built in 1797, the parsonage was, and still is, the headquarters of the parish and the community's center. It served as the church, the community kitchen, and a residence. These two connected buildings at Graceham, the parsonage and the church addition of 1822, are fine examples of American Moravian architecture".
National register of Historic Places 76000995. DSC_0006

Graceham Moravian Church Cupola
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Graceham
Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland. The village was founded as a Moravian church settlement in 1758. The name derives from "Grace" and "Hamlet".
"The main street of the town ascends a gradual slope of a hill rising from the Moravia church and its parsonage at its foot ...". DSC_0007

Roddy Road Covered Bridge
Roddy Road Covered Bridge. One of three covered bridges in Frederick County, Maryland. Wooden single king post covered bridge built in 1856. Repaired at various times. The single king post structure is visible inside.
"The Roddy Road Covered Bridge is a small, one-lane, single-span wood king post truss covered bridge on concrete abutments, which crosses Owen’s Creek near Thurmont. The structure spans 40' feet and is 16 feet wide, with a 12'-8" clearance".
National Register of Historic Places 78003176.
DSC_0379p1

Roddy Road Covered Bridge
Roddy Road Covered Bridge across Owen's Creek. One of three covered bridges in Frederick County, Maryland, and the shortest of them. Wooden single king post covered bridge built in 1856. Repaired at various times.
"The Roddy Road Covered Bridge is a small, one-lane, single-span wood king post truss covered bridge on concrete abutments, which crosses Owen’s Creek near Thurmont. The structure spans 40 feet (12 m) and is 16 feet wide, with a 12'-8" clearance".
National Register of Historic Places 78003176. IMG_2551

Collapsed Barn
Dilapidated wooden barn near Thurmont, Maryland. Roddy Road. IMG_2553

The Thurmont Bank
The Thurmont Bank. "A 2 and 1/2 story brick building that was
constructed in 1891. It has a corner turret, stepped gables and arched windows. It was probably influenced by the Renaissance Revival movement". Over time it has been a Sovran Bank and Bank of America branch. The brick commercial block anchors downtown Thurmont. 4 West Main Street. IMG_2919p1

Adapted Church
Carpenter Gothic church, ca, 1900, converted to a residence. 117 East Main Street, Thurmont, Maryland. DSC_0012

Freight Motor 5
Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Freight Motor 5. Built by H&F in 1920 and retired in 1955. On display in Thurmont, MD. DSC_0011

Catoctin Colors
Fall Colors in the Catoctin Mountains, DSC_0013