Mon, Nov 23 2009
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Published May 09, 2009 03:43 pm - In an era when youngsters played outdoors and having fun consumed more human calories than foreign oil, Sheffield Township’s Benetka Road hill provided an ideal spot for sled riding. Benetka Road has distinctive redwood siding By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com Star Beacon In an era when youngsters played outdoors and having fun consumed more human calories than foreign oil, Sheffield Township’s Benetka Road hill provided an ideal spot for sled riding.
A pair of well maintained runners and unsalted road surface practically ensured that the sled would make it to the covered bridge, a cherished landmark in the community. “That was our sledding hill in the winter and our swimming hole in the summer,” says Tim Wing, who grew up on a farm just south of the bridge and owns the flats around it. “It was part of our lives growing up,” Wing continues. “We swam in the swimming hole just east of the bridge every summer from May until September. The bridge was always there above us. We camped out under the approaches with the spiders. It was part of our lives.” Thanks to aggressive road maintenance, it is nearly impossible to find the long, steep stretch covered with enough snow and ice to make a sledding attempt worth the effort. And in our sanitized world, youngsters do most of their swimming in backyard pools or chlorinated public venues. But the bridge remains, surrounded by cornfields and forest, a quaint time tunnel to Tim Wing’s childhood, and that of his ancestors, as well. An 87-year-old Sheffield Township resident who did not want to be identified shares the history of this area, as it was related to him by his grandfather and others. He said that, at one time, the flats around the bridge was known as Clark’s Mill, so named for the large grist mill that stood on the south side of the bridge. A dam upstream confined the Ashtabula River for a long distance. This mill burned at an unknown date prior to the resident’s arrival on the scene. Catherine Ellsworth, in her history of Ashtabula County (self-published, 1976), wrote: “In 1878 there were four mills in (Sheffield Township), the largest being erected on the Ashtabula River near Benetka Road. It had been erected as a saw mill in 1829, expanding in 1840 to a flouring mill. It was completely rebuilt in the mid-1880s, but has long since disappeared from the scene.” The long-time resident said his grandfather told him that when he was 12 years old, in 1876, an old wooden platform bridge spanned the river. But while his grandfather was crossing the bridge with a load of wheat destined for the mill, the deck gave way. The covered bridge was constructed shortly thereafter. The construction of a sturdier, more reliable crossing at this point ties into the rebuilding of the mill, an investment justified by the improved access. The resident’s grandfather told him the bridge was built by a Jim Rogers of Gageville, who built other covered bridges in the area. The 1880 Census confirms the existence and occupation of this person. In that Census, James H. Rogers, 63, listed his occupation as carpenter. Born in New York, Rogers was married to Rachel. “He made up most of the covered bridge in his shop over there,” said the long-time resident. “He was an expert at it.” Volunteer labor was used to erect the bridge over the river. “He told them not to bring a saw, they wouldn’t need it,” the resident said, referring to the quality of the pre-fabrication. The bridge was put together with tree nails, or pins. 
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