File:Humpback bridge201004-002.jpg

English: The Humpback Covered Bridge. The Humpback Covered Bridge, located three miles west of Covington, Va., is one of the few remaining covered bridges in the U.S. that was built higher in the middle than on either end; hence the name of "humpback". The humpback is four feet higher in the center of the bridge than are the ends. The bridge was built in 1857 and is also the oldest remaining covered bridge in the state of Virginia. The 109-foot bridge, built of white oak and hickory, spans a tributary of the Jackson River known as Dunlap Creek. Three bridges stood at approximately the same location as Humpback Covered Bridge does today. The first was built in the 1820s and was destroyed by a flood in 1837. A second, built the next year, was also destroyed by a flood on July 13, 1842. The third bridge collapsed in 1856 due to heavy use and fatigue from weathering. None of these earlier bridges were either arched or covered. The Humpback Covered Bridge was used from 1857 to 1929, when a steel truss bridge was built for U.S. Route 60 immediately to the north. In 1953, the Virginia Highway Department matched a $5,000 fund that had been raised by the Covington Business and Professional Women's Club and the Covington Chamber of Commerce. Five acres surrounding the bridge were purchased and a small wayside park which opened in 1954 was built, allowing easier access. On October 1, 1969, the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2012 it was designated a National Historic Landmark. Midland Trail, Covington, Va. 4 October 2020