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 鈥� which is 48 feet long and open to vehicular traffic, and the only covered bridge over a natural waterfall in the state 鈥� is her favorite. (Photos courtesy of Heidi Mertz)
Heidi Mertz鈥檚 favorite Washington County covered bridge photo is this one, of the Crawford Bridge, snapped in 2020. Mertz鈥檚 photo project began during lockdown, and she recently photographed the last of Pennsylvania鈥檚 covered bridges.
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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.
鈥淥ne I went to 鈥� 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,鈥� Mertz said. 鈥淭hey had a 鈥榬oad closed ahead鈥� sign. Of course, I drove down to see it and took a picture of where the bridge used to be.鈥�
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 鈥� 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a homebody,鈥� said Mertz. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
One of Mertz鈥檚 good friends knew the bubbly blonde needed adventure and, thanks to a Facebook recommendation, suggested the duo day trip to Washington County.
鈥淵ou always hear about Washington County and Greene County, because they have that covered bridge festival. I鈥檝e always wanted to go, just never did. One of my friends 鈥� she鈥檚 like, why don鈥檛 we go check out covered bridges? Start with Washington County, because they鈥檙e local,鈥� Mertz said. 鈥淒uring the pandemic they鈥檙e telling you to stay home, stay home. It鈥檚 not safe outside. Well, if everyone鈥檚 inside, no one鈥檚 outside.鈥�
So on May 10, 2020, Mertz and her friend stepped outside. They visited 14 of Washington County鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 love taking pictures,鈥� Mertz shrugged. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of habit for me.鈥�
After photographing all the bridges in Washington and Greene counties, Mertz began planning her real-life scavenger hunt to the rest of the state鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 explored and learned more about Pennsylvania. I got to see two Liberty Bells,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 one that鈥檚 hidden underneath a church. It鈥檚 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny: The church opened in 1962, so they tell you all these facts about 1962,鈥� Mertz laughed.
She also played a large role in connecting long-lost friends.
鈥淭here was a covered bridge in Northampton County that had my last name. I鈥檓 like, OK, I鈥檓 looking forward to driving there and checking it out,鈥� 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.
鈥淚 heard a car coming down the hillside, going across the bridge and I鈥檓 like running to my car to see if I have to move it,鈥� Mertz said.
She waved at the slowly approaching vehicle and explained her pandemic project to the driver. Since the bridge didn鈥檛 have a plaque, Mertz asked if the driver could verify its name. He confirmed it was, indeed, the Mertz Covered Bridge.
鈥淚 said, I share a last name with the bridge. (The driver) goes, if you don鈥檛 mind me asking, do you know Patty Mertz? I鈥檓 like, that鈥檚 my aunt, my godmother,鈥� Mertz said. 鈥淗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.鈥�
The gentleman, named Steve Mertz (no relation), asked for Patty Mertz鈥檚 number, but Mertz felt uncomfortable giving out that information, so she called her aunt from the side of the road.
鈥淟uckily, she answered,鈥� Mertz laughed. 鈥淭hey talked for about 10 minutes. When I left there, my aunt called me back and she鈥檚 like, how did you run into Steve Mertz?鈥�
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).
鈥淭hey reconnected after 46 years,鈥� Mertz said. 鈥淚 mean, what are the chances of that even happening? I was there at the right moment. They keep in touch now.鈥�
Mertz鈥檚 covered bridge project is filled with moments suited for the silver screen, but it wasn鈥檛 without challenges, which began on day one.
The bumps in the road began, literally, during that first trip to Washington County.
鈥淎 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,鈥� Mertz laughed. 鈥淭hey have like four different sections (on pacoveredbridges.com) 鈥� and there鈥檚 a warning about the roads. Enter at your own risk, or something. I forget exactly what it said, but I was laughing.鈥�
Of course, Mertz didn鈥檛 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鈥檚 more obscure covered bridges.
鈥淭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,鈥� 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.
鈥淐hester County鈥檚 not too far away, so I鈥檓 like, let鈥檚 see how many in Chester County I can hit while I鈥檓 here,鈥� Mertz said. 鈥淭wo of them, I couldn鈥檛 find them anywhere. Then I read on that website they鈥檙e owned by the Laurel Preserves, and that it鈥檚 a membership-only access. You have to get either a membership or permission to access their property. I鈥檓 sitting there doing searches on the internet trying to find a contact. They ended up giving me a complimentary day pass.鈥�
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鈥檚 dock overlooking a lake.
鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely gorgeous. It鈥檚 so tranquil,鈥� 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.
鈥淚鈥檓 like, the last one better be pretty nice. I didn鈥檛 want to be disappointed, it falling apart,鈥� she said with a smile.
鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 feel like, oh. Accomplishment, you know? I鈥檓 done,鈥� she sighed. 鈥淚鈥檓 like, OK, that鈥檚 it. Now what鈥檚 to do next?鈥�
Next, Mertz plans to visit all the waterfalls in Pennsylvania, a project she began while photographing the state鈥檚 covered bridges. She also started snapping murals and red barns during covered bridge trips, and since she鈥檚 seen so much of the commonwealth, Mertz plans to take pictures outside of Pennsylvania. Already, she鈥檚 begun visiting America鈥檚 ballparks (when the Pirates play in that city, of course), and is smitten with the idea of capturing Maine鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a ton of books of our covered bridges out there already. How many can you have out there?鈥� Mertz said. 鈥淚鈥檝e done Shutterfly books. So I might do that, like a coffee table book.鈥�
For herself, of course. The project, born out of a global pandemic, was never for fame or fortune.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 expecting anything. Just something to do during the pandemic, get out of the house,鈥� Mertz said.
The Washington and Greene Counties Covered Bridge Festival is Sept. 17 and 18. Events are featured at 10 of the area鈥檚 covered bridges. For more information on the festival, visit聽https://www.visitwashingtoncountypa.com/covered-bridge-festival/.