Clark Center is barely a town, as it features just a handful of homes and what looks like a warehouse. But the original US 40 and National Road alignment runs right through it, the 1920s brick road having been paved over with asphalt at some point. This stretch lasts but a mile, but you really should pull off and drive it just so you can see this covered bridge. It’s actually just a modern steel-stringer bridge with a wooden cover, but it’s neat nonetheless.
Speaking of neat, I’d like to know what qualifies as a “neat creature.” Covered bridges – real ones, with timber trusses and decks – were common on the National Road in the 1800s. After the US government turned the road over to the states through which it ran, it became a toll road in many places. I suppose there would even have been toll bridges along the old pike. That’s what this sign hearkens back to.
Margaret, my travel companion, photographed me while I photographed the bridge. I’m outstanding in my field!
I’ve driven the National Road from its beginning in Baltimore, MD to its end in Vandaila, IL. To read everything I’ve ever written about it, click here.
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