Gallon House Bridge

The Gallon House Bridge crosses Abiqua Creek about two miles north-northwest of Silverton, and is widely cited as Oregon's oldest continuously operating covered bridge still open to vehicle traffic, as well as the only covered bridge remaining in Marion County. Its distinctive name traces to Prohibition, when Silverton was a "dry" town but nearby Mt. Angel was "wet": an enterprising operator set up a small shack at the north end of the bridge selling moonshine, or "white lightning," by the gallon to Silverton residents who crossed the bridge to buy their liquor, giving the crossing its lasting name. Built in 1916, the 84-foot Howe truss span survived the catastrophic Christmas Flood of 1964, which swept it off its footings, but it was restored and returned to service shortly afterward. A damaged lower chord forced another closure in 1985, until county road crews reinforced the structure and reopened it with a reduced weight limit rather than replacing it outright, reflecting the community's determination to preserve the bridge as a historic landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, the Gallon House Bridge remains open to single-lane vehicle traffic today with a posted 10-ton weight limit.