01/01/2026
From our Founder:
As we close out 2025 and prepare to welcome 2026, my thoughts turn to White's Covered Bridge and the profound connections it represents—not just across the waters it spans, but across time itself.
Eighty-three years ago, my great-uncle Douglas Stewart Wiggins, gave his life in New Guinea on Christmas Eve 1942, far from home and family.
He never knew that decades later, his signature—carved into the timbers of the original White's Bridge before he left for war—would become part of something larger than any of us imagined.
When fire took the bridge in 2013, it felt like losing that last tangible connection to him, to my grandmother, to a piece of our family's story written in wood and history.
But here's what I've learned through this journey: vision without ex*****on is just a dream, and I was blessed with partners in the form of the Whites Bridge Historical Society who transformed that dream into reality.
To the members of the White's Bridge Historical Society—you are the real heroes of this story. I brought the vision, the passion, maybe even the stubborn refusal to let this bridge fade into memory.
But you brought the expertise, the dedication, the countless hours of work that turned plans into timber, timber into structure, structure into history reborn.
You took my family's connection and made it everyone's bridge again.
Together, you did something remarkable, you raised nearly a million dollars and rebuilt one of only three bridges worldwide using the historic Brown truss system.
You didn't just rebuild—you honored the past while securing the future, committing yourselves to maintaining this bridge for generations to come.
Most importantly, you restored the vital function this bridge serves—connecting our community, literally and symbolically.
It's not a museum piece. It's a living, working bridge that carries people across the water every day, just as it was meant to do.
As we stand on the threshold of a new year, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for the Historical Society members who refused to let this project fail.
Gratitude for a community that rallied behind something bigger than themselves.
Gratitude that my great-uncle's signature still exists, preserved in the timbers of a bridge that stands because people cared enough to make it stand.
White's Bridge isn't just structure and history—it's proof that when people come together with shared purpose, remarkable things happen.
The Historical Society didn't just help me rebuild a bridge, they helped ensure that Douglas Stewart Wiggins' name, his mark, his moment in time before war took him, will endure for another century or more.
As we move into 2026, may the bridge we built together stand as a reminder that the best of what we accomplish, we accomplish together.
Thank you doesn't come close to expressing what you've given—to me, to our community, to history itself, but it's what I have, and I offer it with a full heart.
Happy New Year to all of you. May the year ahead bring you the same sense of purpose and connection that this bridge represents.
With deepest gratitude and respect,
Paul Phenix.
