Langley Covered Bridge

Langley Covered Bridge is a wooden structure spanning the St. Joseph River near Centreville, Michigan, built using the Howe truss system. It consists of three sections with solid wooden walls and a peaked roof that protect the crossing throughout the year.

Pierce Bodmer constructed it in 1887 using white pine timber and a proven engineering system designed for long spans. The structure has endured more than a century and remains one of the longest wooden covered bridges still standing in the state.

The bridge is named after Thomas W. Langley, the first settler of Centreville, and reflects the building skills of 19th-century communities. It shows how people engineered solutions to cross rivers using methods passed down through local craftspeople.

Access to the bridge is free and available year-round, as the wooden structure receives regular maintenance to keep it safe. Driving or walking across it is straightforward and offers visitors a good sense of how 19th-century engineering worked in practice.

The bridge underwent extensive renovation between 2008 and 2009 that replaced the wooden siding, roof, and floor decking to preserve its original appearance. This work ensured the structure could continue serving the community for decades to come.