Area photographer captures all of Pennsylvania’s covered bridges
A bird swoops over the Shriver Bridge, one of seven covered bridges in Greene County. Heidi Mertz recently finished photographing every covered bridge in the state. (Photos courtesy of Heidi Mertz)
Courtesy of Heidi Mertz
After visiting and photographing all the covered bridges in a county, Heidi Mertz colors in that county. There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania, and 34 of them are home to covered bridges.
Heidi Mertz snaps a selfie in front of the New Germantown covered bridge in Perry County, Pennsylvania. Mertz recently finished photographing all the covered bridges in the state.
Courtesy of Heidi Mertz
Courtesy of Heidi Mertz
During her two-year quest to photograph all the covered bridges in Pennsylvania, Heidi Mertz found and documented this wooden trestle in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
A fisherman waits for the fish to bite while enjoying the roar of water beneath the Packsaddle Covered Bridge in Somerset County. Heidi Mertz recently finished photographing every covered bridge in the state, and said Packsaddle 无毛视频� which is 48 feet long and open to vehicular traffic, and the only covered bridge over a natural waterfall in the state 无毛视频� is her favorite. (Photos courtesy of Heidi Mertz)
Heidi Mertz无毛视频檚 favorite Washington County covered bridge photo is this one, of the Crawford Bridge, snapped in 2020. Mertz无毛视频檚 photo project began during lockdown, and she recently photographed the last of Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 covered bridges.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
On Aug. 23, 2022, Heidi Mertz snapped her last photograph of a Pennsylvania covered bridge.
For two years, the Bethel Park woman spent her vacations and PTO traveling to and taking photos of every covered bridge in the commonwealth.
All but one.
无毛视频淥ne I went to 无毛视频� it was Chester County, actually last year, right around the hot air balloon festival. Hurricane Ida came and wiped out one of the covered bridges a week before I got there,无毛视频� Mertz said. 无毛视频淭hey had a 无毛视频榬oad closed ahead无毛视频� sign. Of course, I drove down to see it and took a picture of where the bridge used to be.无毛视频�
That tenacity, coupled with curiosity and an adventurous spirit, helped Mertz do something many have not. The banker by day, photographer by night, has traversed the state and captured on film (er, smartphone) 213 covered bridges 无毛视频� more than the number of bridges listed at pacoveredbridges.com, which Mertz used to plan her project.
The covered bridge photography project began on Mother无毛视频檚 Day 2020. Pennsylvania was two months into lockdown, and though Mertz still went to work each day, she had hit her quota of binge-watching and felt restless.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not a homebody,无毛视频� said Mertz. 无毛视频淚 like to go out and do things. You have to be creative and inventive during this whole thing. You can either let the pandemic make you crazy, depressed, or figure creative ways to work around it.无毛视频�
One of Mertz无毛视频檚 good friends knew the bubbly blonde needed adventure and, thanks to a Facebook recommendation, suggested the duo day trip to Washington County.
无毛视频淵ou always hear about Washington County and Greene County, because they have that covered bridge festival. I无毛视频檝e always wanted to go, just never did. One of my friends 无毛视频� she无毛视频檚 like, why don无毛视频檛 we go check out covered bridges? Start with Washington County, because they无毛视频檙e local,无毛视频� Mertz said. 无毛视频淒uring the pandemic they无毛视频檙e telling you to stay home, stay home. It无毛视频檚 not safe outside. Well, if everyone无毛视频檚 inside, no one无毛视频檚 outside.无毛视频�
So on May 10, 2020, Mertz and her friend stepped outside. They visited 14 of Washington County无毛视频檚 23 covered bridges. Mertz never planned on a daylong excursion becoming a two-year photography project. She just did what she always does: document the moment on her iPhone.
无毛视频淚 love taking pictures,无毛视频� Mertz shrugged. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 kind of habit for me.无毛视频�
After photographing all the bridges in Washington and Greene counties, Mertz began planning her real-life scavenger hunt to the rest of the state无毛视频檚 historic trestles.
The project took Mertz to all sorts of quirky places, including Punxsutawney, where she successfully tracked down all the fiberglass Phils, and a secret Liberty Bell.
无毛视频淚 explored and learned more about Pennsylvania. I got to see two Liberty Bells,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 one that无毛视频檚 hidden underneath a church. It无毛视频檚 a replica. Apparently they had to hide the Liberty Bell for a period of time, and they hid it under this church, Zion Lutheran Church.无毛视频�
Through two red doors on the lower level of that church in Allentown is the Liberty Bell Museum, where Mertz rang the replica bell before visiting the real one in Philadelphia.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 funny: The church opened in 1962, so they tell you all these facts about 1962,无毛视频� Mertz laughed.
She also played a large role in connecting long-lost friends.
无毛视频淭here was a covered bridge in Northampton County that had my last name. I无毛视频檓 like, OK, I无毛视频檓 looking forward to driving there and checking it out,无毛视频� Mertz said.
When she arrived at the bridge, Mertz parked on the side of the road. Her car blocked a nearby driveway, but because the area was quiet, the photographer hopped out, headed to the bridge and started snapping.
无毛视频淚 heard a car coming down the hillside, going across the bridge and I无毛视频檓 like running to my car to see if I have to move it,无毛视频� Mertz said.
She waved at the slowly approaching vehicle and explained her pandemic project to the driver. Since the bridge didn无毛视频檛 have a plaque, Mertz asked if the driver could verify its name. He confirmed it was, indeed, the Mertz Covered Bridge.
无毛视频淚 said, I share a last name with the bridge. (The driver) goes, if you don无毛视频檛 mind me asking, do you know Patty Mertz? I无毛视频檓 like, that无毛视频檚 my aunt, my godmother,无毛视频� Mertz said. 无毛视频淗e goes on to tell me that he was a pharmacist, went to the University of Pittsburgh with my aunt and they had another friend. They were like the three amigos.无毛视频�
The gentleman, named Steve Mertz (no relation), asked for Patty Mertz无毛视频檚 number, but Mertz felt uncomfortable giving out that information, so she called her aunt from the side of the road.
无毛视频淟uckily, she answered,无毛视频� Mertz laughed. 无毛视频淭hey talked for about 10 minutes. When I left there, my aunt called me back and she无毛视频檚 like, how did you run into Steve Mertz?无毛视频�
Mertz explained she was out photographing a covered bridge, and the timing happened to be perfect.
She told Patty to pick a day and, one year and two months after Mertz met Steve Mertz at the covered bridge, the photog and her aunt arrived at Nobles Amusement Park (which, of course, houses two overpasses).
无毛视频淭hey reconnected after 46 years,无毛视频� Mertz said. 无毛视频淚 mean, what are the chances of that even happening? I was there at the right moment. They keep in touch now.无毛视频�
Mertz无毛视频檚 covered bridge project is filled with moments suited for the silver screen, but it wasn无毛视频檛 without challenges, which began on day one.
The bumps in the road began, literally, during that first trip to Washington County.
无毛视频淎 lot of the roads are back roads, dirt roads, very bumpy. Well, I heard a bump. I ended up putting a hole in my muffler,无毛视频� Mertz laughed. 无毛视频淭hey have like four different sections (on pacoveredbridges.com) 无毛视频� and there无毛视频檚 a warning about the roads. Enter at your own risk, or something. I forget exactly what it said, but I was laughing.无毛视频�
Of course, Mertz didn无毛视频檛 read that warning until after the muffler fiasco, but she took the challenge in stride. She also learned to navigate rural areas sans cellphone service, and went to great lengths to capture some of the state无毛视频檚 more obscure covered bridges.
无毛视频淭here are a couple that are privately owned, that you have to get permission. I reached out for permission, knocked on front doors or emailed them,无毛视频� Mertz said.
During a trip to Lancaster County for the annual hot air balloon festival, Mertz decided to visit as many nearby covered bridges as she could.
无毛视频淐hester County无毛视频檚 not too far away, so I无毛视频檓 like, let无毛视频檚 see how many in Chester County I can hit while I无毛视频檓 here,无毛视频� Mertz said. 无毛视频淭wo of them, I couldn无毛视频檛 find them anywhere. Then I read on that website they无毛视频檙e owned by the Laurel Preserves, and that it无毛视频檚 a membership-only access. You have to get either a membership or permission to access their property. I无毛视频檓 sitting there doing searches on the internet trying to find a contact. They ended up giving me a complimentary day pass.无毛视频�
And so Mertz documented those membership-only bridges.
She also booked a stay at the Liberty Spring House, a wedding venue home to a covered bridge accessible only to guests. Mertz spent a Sunday evening touring the grounds, photographing the covered bridge and sipping wine on the cabin无毛视频檚 dock overlooking a lake.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 absolutely gorgeous. It无毛视频檚 so tranquil,无毛视频� she said.
Mertz photographed the last covered bridge on her list during a 10-day trip this August, where she stopped at 24 bridges in five counties.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 like, the last one better be pretty nice. I didn无毛视频檛 want to be disappointed, it falling apart,无毛视频� she said with a smile.
无毛视频淚 thought I无毛视频檇 feel like, oh. Accomplishment, you know? I无毛视频檓 done,无毛视频� she sighed. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 like, OK, that无毛视频檚 it. Now what无毛视频檚 to do next?无毛视频�
Next, Mertz plans to visit all the waterfalls in Pennsylvania, a project she began while photographing the state无毛视频檚 covered bridges. She also started snapping murals and red barns during covered bridge trips, and since she无毛视频檚 seen so much of the commonwealth, Mertz plans to take pictures outside of Pennsylvania. Already, she无毛视频檚 begun visiting America无毛视频檚 ballparks (when the Pirates play in that city, of course), and is smitten with the idea of capturing Maine无毛视频檚 lighthouses on her camera.
As for her covered bridge photographs?
Mertz said friends, family and social media followers liked and shared and commented on the covered bridge images she无毛视频檚 posted to Facebook (the images helped co-workers find wedding venues, too!), and several people have suggested the self-taught photographer turn her journey into a book.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a ton of books of our covered bridges out there already. How many can you have out there?无毛视频� Mertz said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e done Shutterfly books. So I might do that, like a coffee table book.无毛视频�
For herself, of course. The project, born out of a global pandemic, was never for fame or fortune.
无毛视频淚 wasn无毛视频檛 expecting anything. Just something to do during the pandemic, get out of the house,无毛视频� Mertz said.
The Washington and Greene Counties Covered Bridge Festival is Sept. 17 and 18. Events are featured at 10 of the area无毛视频檚 covered bridges. For more information on the festival, visit聽https://www.visitwashingtoncountypa.com/covered-bridge-festival/.