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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Terry Lively, the president of Vandalia Productions LLC, wants people to understand the importance of covered bridges in the state.
They are not only a beautiful example of architecture, but they are a reminder of West Virginia's past — and only 17 covered bridges remain.
"I think West Virginia should be proud of them," she said.
Lively started Vandalia Productions about 14 years ago and has worked on several films, including "A New York City Central Park Stationary Bike Tour" and "Finding the Gold Within," but she felt a need to tell about the state's covered bridges.
When she was working on her master's degree, she completed a thesis project called "Crossing Building Bridges in West Virginia."
Then, Lively was working in the West Virginia Department of Transportation's communications department and got a grant from the Federal Highways Administration worth about $156,000 to make the educational film, book and an educational model called "West Virginia Covered Bridges."
Lively spent about $95,000 to make the film and about $25,000 to make the book of the same name, which she said now is in every library in the state.
Lively also put about $26,000 of her own money and time into the film.
She said she hopes the project will help viewers see the bridges in a different light.
"I hope they get an appreciation for not only the beauty of the covered bridges that are left, but also respect and admiration for the engineering and hard work it took to build them," she said.
The project began in fall 2013 and was completed in June.
The resulting film is packed with facts, figures and history of the state's remaining bridges. To make sure her information was accurate, she had the West Virginia State Archives check her work.
"The folks from Archives and History helped me out tremendously and reviewed and noted any mistakes," she said.
Lively worked with a number of people on the film including retired West Virginia Highways Commissioner Fred Van Kirk, bridge engineer Jim Sothen and restoration expert Dr. Emory L. Kemp of West Virginia University's Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology.
Van Kirk, Sothen and Kemp all appear in the film.
Tom Fauss, an archivist with the state archive who helped Lively incorporate video into the film, said covered bridges are important because they are a part of our transportation history and help with tourism.
"I hope people understand a number of people across the state are making efforts to save our history," he said. "I'm glad Terry did it. It was a lot of work for her and she saw the work into completion.
"I hope they get an appreciation for not only the beauty of the covered bridges that are left, but also respect and admiration for the engineering and hard work it took to build them," she said.
Lively's DVD and book are in every library in the state and are sold at Tamarack near Beckley.
The film can also be purchased on wvcoveredbridges.com or by mail. Just send $19.90 per DVD to West Virginia Covered Bridges, P.O. Box 652, Pinch, WV 25156.
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Information from: Charleston Daily Mail, http://www.charlestondailymail.com
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