The Covered Bridge

If the West Findley covered bridge could talk

What would it tell us?

One hundred and five years of use

And thousands of crossings

The deck now creaks and sighs

As its lumber, decades old

Has aged and cracked

Dried and worn by weather and wheels

It and its many sister bridges

Crossed the Wheeling Creek

Providing access from West Findley

To other towns in the county and the state

The bridge has protected and given comfort to many

A temporary respite from the blazing summer sun

And a welcome relief from the snow

The blizzards of 1884, ’90, ‘27 and many more

Nursing students going to the Washington Hospital

Must have crossed the bridge

Certainly, school children trudged across in the mornings

And joyously ran across in the afternoon!

Sheep and cattle going to market

Apples, alfalfa, all the local crops

Commerce of many kinds traveled over it

And perhaps a romantic walk or two

What else could the bridge tell?

Of men going off to war and joyfully returning

Other secrets which are better off remaining secret?

And tragedies that are best left untold

We may never know as much as we might want to

The bridge keeps its secrets

What we know is the bridge is at Greenfield Village

For all of us to treasure