About the Association
The Heartland Covered Bridge Association was founded in the winter of 1989, when a group of seven Madison County neighbors met in the back room of the Winterset public library to talk about the deteriorating condition of the Hogback Creek Bridge. The county had no budget for repairs, and demolition had been quietly discussed. The group raised $4,300 in eight weeks — mostly in five- and ten-dollar donations — and the bridge got its new roof.
Thirty-seven years later, that is still more or less what we do: pay attention, raise a little money, and make sure the people who can save a bridge know about the people who want to help. We are an all-volunteer organization from top to bottom — board, executive director, and, in most summers, a student intern.
Our Mission
To document, preserve, and celebrate the historic covered bridges of the American Midwest, and to support the counties, townships, and friends groups that care for them.
What We Believe
- A covered bridge is infrastructure and heritage — it deserves to be treated as both.
- Small, timely repairs prevent big, expensive losses.
- Local pride is the best preservation tool ever invented.
- Every bridge deserves a paper trail: measured drawings, photographs, and a written history.
Staff
Riley Soward
Riley came to HCBA after a decade in county historical society work and, like everyone else here, serves unpaid. Riley manages the grant program, edits The Kingpost, and has personally visited 139 of the 152 bridges in our registry. The remaining thirteen are, in Riley's words, “a retirement plan.”
Ted Wind
Ted joined us in June and is spending the summer digitizing the association's slide archive (some 2,400 photographs dating to 1974), updating registry entries, and helping prepare for Bridge Days. Ask him about scanning software and he will tell you more than you asked to know.
Board of Directors
| Name | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Marjorie Culp | President | Winterset, Iowa |
| Dale Hutchins | Vice President | St. Charles, Iowa |
| Eleanor Voss | Treasurer | Earlham, Iowa |
| Sam Perlmutter | Secretary | Indianola, Iowa |
| June Okafor | Director at Large | Greenfield, Iowa |
| Harold "Hap" Brandt | Director at Large | Truro, Iowa |
The board meets quarterly in the meeting room of the Winterset public library — the same room the association was founded in — and once a year at Bridge Days. Minutes are available to members on request.