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Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site

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Park Information

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge boasts the picture-perfect appearance of an old red barn. It was one of six bridges built in 1872 to allow passage from the Jefferson County seat of Hillsboro to St. Louis. John H. Morse built Sandy Creek Covered Bridge using the Howe-truss design, named for William Howe. Howe patented his design in 1840, which featured the use of vertical rods to draw wooden members tight against the top and bottom of the bridge. Three of the four remaining covered bridges in Missouri were built using the Howe-truss design, including Sandy Creek, Burfordville and Locust Creek covered bridges. 

Park Hours

Historic Site Grounds:

  • February through December
    8 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset 
  • January
    Closed

Related Content

Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites
May 23, 2013
Fifty years ago, if you had arrived at the natural tunnel in Bennett Spring State Park, you would have seen a lake. Around 1964, a dam created from gravel and silt and reinforced with rebar and concrete blocked the upstream entrance of the natural tunnel. There is no record of how long the resulting lake lasted, but historical accounts state the dam failed after heavy rains, leaving only the portion of the structure seen today at the end of the trail. Walk the Natural Tunnel Trail today and imagine what it would have been like 50 years ago. For more information about this trail, other trails at the park, and all the other things you can do at Bennett Spring State Park, visit mostateparks.com.