West Virginia artist helps restore Barrackville bridge
BARRACKVILLE, W.Va. (AP) — In his 10 years living in Barrackville, Graham Curry has always appreciated the town’s covered bridge.
“(The bridge) is kind of something that is associated with the town... it reflects the life and vibrance of the town,” Curry said. “But when you drive past (the bridge), you don’t know it’s in desperate need of repair, but it is.”
A year ago, Curry had no clue that the bridge was in need of repairs and, like many of the town’s residents, he wanted to capture a picture of the landmark, but in his own style.
An expert in both hand drawn and digital art, Curry crafted a poster of what he thought could be a town logo with the covered bridge being the center piece.
Just around the same time he was creating his poster, he found a Facebook group dedicated to preserving the covered bridge — a stroke of serendipity that connected Curry to the cause.
“They’re trying to raise funds to preserve it, to improve it, but also to save it,” Curry said. “I reached out to the admin of the page and asked a few questions and they invited me to their next meeting, that’s when I presented the poster.”
At the meeting, he met several local proponents who are fighting to raise money to preserve the bridge, but none more passionate than Diana Marple.
Marple has been fighting to preserve the 165-year-old structure for the better half of 2021. The Barrackville bridge holds a special place in her heart.
Last Christmas, Marple and her husband Will decorated the bridge together with lights and a tree powered by a donated generator. The lights stayed for just a day, but the memory will last Marple much, much longer.
Her husband passed away in August of this year, but she plans to continue lighting the bridge every year.
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