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1998 SESSION

984908726
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19
Offered January 14, 1998
Prefiled January 13, 1998
Designating Covered Bridge Weekend in Virginia.
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Patron-- Quayle
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Referred to the Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, among Virginia's least-known treasures are the eight covered bridges that remain standing in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, constructed between the 1850s and the 1920s, these uniquely attractive and evocative structures traverse creeks and rivers in the Shenandoah Valley, the Allegheny Mountains, Southwest Virginia, and Southside; and

WHEREAS, the oldest, Humpback Covered Bridge, was built in 1857 and crosses Dunlap Creek near Covington in Alleghany County, while the newest, Bob White Covered Bridge, was built in 1921 over the Smith River in Patrick County; and

WHEREAS, the small Giles County community of Newport can boast of three covered bridges in its immediate vicinity, the Links Farm, the C. K. Reynolds, and the Sinking Creek Covered Bridges, all of which cross Sinking Creek; and

WHEREAS, the Biedler Farm Covered Bridge in Rockingham County, the Meems Bottom Covered Bridge in Shenandoah County, and the Jack's Creek Covered Bridge in Patrick County complete the list of Virginia's covered bridges; and

WHEREAS, sadly, Virginia's stock of covered bridges was reduced by one in 1996, when Hurricane Fran wiped out the Marysville Covered Bridge in Campbell County; and

WHEREAS, these extraordinary structures form a little-known but nonetheless invaluable and irreplaceable part of Virginia's historic heritage; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby designate the third weekend in June, in 1998 and in each succeeding even-numbered year, as Covered Bridge Weekend in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the General Assembly urge the citizens of the Commonwealth to learn about these historic bridges, visit them where feasible, and support efforts, public or private, to restore and maintain Virginia's covered bridges.