Covered Bridge Patent Information Request
May 10, 2021 - James Crouse has passed along this request for some covered bridge patent information:
Professor Terry Miller, one of the authors of America's Covered Bridges: Practical Crossings—Nostalgic Icons and China's Covered Bridges: Architecture Over Water, has a special request to "pick your brains" regarding two specific questions. Please reply to him (and copy me if you like) if you have ANY information on these topics.
I'm wondering if you can put out a query to your readers.
- Is anyone aware of any bridge truss patent by Timothy Palmer, builder of the Permanent Bridge?
- Are there any patents by Lewis Wernwag other than the often-reproduced set of 3 bridge plans? I'm not sure that's a patent either.
The Patent Office burned about 1838, meaning that all early patents had to be reconstructed. I haven't found any patents by these builders.
Thank you for any help you can provide!
Jim Crouse
Fort Wayne IN
Please send any information you might have by email to Professor Terry Miller or James Crouse.
For more information on Terry Miller's book, refer to our news item from October 30, 2020: New Book Available by Ron Knapp, Terry Miller, Liu Jie, and A. Chester Ong China's Covered Bridges: Architecture Over Water
Editor's note: Thanks to James Crouse for forwarding this information request.
