The Inner Sounds of a Covered Bridge

Last month, I drove over to Newton Falls, Ohio (pop. 4,500) to record the sounds of an old round bank vault for my sound effects library Vaults, Safes, Keys and Locks. While there, the owner of the former bank, who happens to be the town mayor, suggested I go take a look at the town’s one remaining historic wooden covered bridge. They had two up until halfway through WWII. No, one wasn’t bombed. It was replaced. Its double-barreled design couldn’t handle the type of military vehicles on the roads at the time. Anyway, Mayor Hanson thought I might find it interesting. I wondered if it might sound interesting to hear the inner sounds of a covered bridge. It did. For approximately an hour, I captured its sound with ‘regular’ microphones (Line Audio CM3 in ORTF) and also with a spaced pair of Barcus Berry contact mics spread out across the walkway decking.

At the beginning of this time-compressed recording, and then at the end, you’ll hear the sound of traffic motoring back and forth along the one-lane bridge through the ‘regular’ microphones I placed in the middle of the walkway facing toward the roadway. In the middle of the recording, I fade in the contact microphones. 

Listen to the Bridge

I find it interesting to hear how certain sounds are muffled and disappear while others are accentuated when using contact mics. Hopefully you will too.

More About the Covered Bridge

The historic Newton Falls, Ohio wooden covered bridge was built over the east branch of the Mahoning River around 1831. It is considered the second oldest existing covered bridge in the state and the oldest still in use on its original posts. At 123-feet long, it is an example of a Town Lattice truss plan. Its walkway was added in 1921 so that children could attend a nearby school. Due to floods, ice jams, a tornado and vehicle accidents, It has been modified and restored several times, the latest in 2024.

Where is This Bridge?

Further Reading

• See a Federal Highway Administration webpage on Town Lattice truss bridge design here.
• Read what the Newton Falls Public Library has to say about the bridge here. Through the site’s Local History Photos link, you can view over 100 more images, postcards and drawings of the bridge, along with images of the town’s other covered bridge, a ‘double-barreled’ design, which spanned the west of the Mahoning River until it was torn down during WWII.