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The John Bright
#2 Covered Bridge #35-23-10 was built in  1881 by Augustus Borneman.
John Bright was a very successful farmer south west of Baltimore,
Ohio, he had a 300 acre farm. Poplar Creek was the site of Bright
Community Church, Old Camp Meeting Ground and a Grist Mill. The
original Bright Covered Bridge#2 before its relocation was over
Poplar Creek in Fairfield County. 
Augustus Borneman,
a Prussian immigrant who was a prolific bridge designer and builder
in Ohio. This 74 foot long single span bridge has an inverted
arch bowstring suspension truss closely resembling the 1875 patent
 for a metal truss designed by William
Black, a former partner of Mr. Borneman.
The bridge features
wooden upper chords, end posts and immediate verticals with metal rod cross bracing.
An inverted  eyebar arch is suspended from the itop
of the end posts. The bridge also has a Burr arch that was added
in 1913, following a flood which washed away 12 other bridges
in the county. The cost to build the original structure was $13.25
per lineal foot or $980.50
This bridge is
distinctive because it is one of only two bowstring trusses in
the United States.  The other covered bridge is located in
Germantown, Ohio in Montgomery County. My article for January
2001.
In the spring
of 1988, the bridge was transported with only the roof removed
to the campus of the Lancaster Branch of Ohio University. Just
twelve miles from its original location. The bridge now crosses
Fetters Run. Most of the original siding had
been removed by vandals. The bridge was moved by Bill Dingey
Movers of Zanesville. Enough concrete was used to build a good
size garage, to rebuild the existing abutments and over six hundred
man hours were spent in rebuilding the concrete abutments. The
roofing was  rebuilt with the original rafters and
a new corrugated tin roof. Poplar siding was donated by E. B.
Miller.
The painting
of the exterior was a special Venetian Red formula of Iron Oxide
and Linseed Oil. Fund raising was made by The Nannie B. M artens Estate, Fairfield
Covered Bridge Association, and the Visitor and Convention Bureau
of Lancaster. The moving of the bridge, the donated man hours,
the gift of the siding, and other in kind donations; the total
cost to rebuild the John Bright #2 Covered Bridge was approximately
$30,000 to bring it back to its former glory. The formal bridge
rededication ceremony was on Friday, October 28, 1988.
 The John Bright #2 is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The Bridge now welcomes visitors
to the Lancaster Campus of Ohio University & the Lancaster
Festival and is the perfect complement to a University and a
County rich in history.
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