Duane Carman Memorial Bridge - Covered Bridges on Waymarking.com

When the little village of Cook, population 300, in Johnson County Nebraska, discovered funds left over from the village’s 1988 centennial celebration, Duane Carman, a local resident, suggested building a covered bridge even though he had never seen one.

There was skepticism at first but the idea caught on. The bridge crossing a tributary of the South Fork of the Little Nemaha River, which had connected the two sections of the town park, had been condemned so an excellent location was available. The town Librarian, Mary Alice Smith, researched covered bridges and a committee which was soon formed chose a design based on bridges in Vermont and New York. Plans were drawn up by The Carmans’ son, Michael, who was studying architecture. Materials were donated from old barns and houses in the vicinity.

The work of removing the old bridge and constructing the new was done by volunteers, 115 of them altogether, or donated by contractors. It's estimated that there were 2,000 hours of volunteer labor and this kept the total bridge cost to just $5,000.

The bridge was dedicated as Centennial Bridge on Oct. 1, 1989. The first vehicle across the bridge was a horse-drawn carriage. The bridge is open 24/7 to motor vehicles and foot traffic.

Duane Carman said after the bridge’s construction, “I did not promote the bridge idea for publicity or awards. I wanted the people to enjoy getting together and for everyone to like and enjoy the bridge.” After Duane’s death in 1996, the Centennial Bridge was renamed the Duane Carman Bridge

Cook won the Best Little Town in America contest in 1992. There were 800 towns of less than 1,000 population entered in the contest.

There's a geocache titled "A Bit of New England" hidden by the bridge.

Current Condition of Bridge: Excellent Web Address: [Web Link] Description of Covered Bridge: The bridge is stringer truss construction,42 feet long and 20 feet wide. It has an 18-ton capacity. The opening is 14 feet high. The exterior is covered with shingles. Year Built: 1988-1989 Location (Road - City - State - Country): County road on the edge of Cook, Nebraska. USA Parking (If not at the bridge):: Not listed

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