This Randolph County native was a skilled carpenter who built covered bridges in western Virginia. He also constructed houses, furniture, and churches—including one that stood for over 100 years.

In the 1840s, Chenoweth won a major contract to build bridges for the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. A famous story says he proved the strength of his bridge model by standing on it between two chairs, impressing officials in Richmond.

Chenoweth later built several important bridges, including the Philippi and Barrackville covered bridges. He used a special design called the Burr arch truss, which combined arches and triangle shapes to make the bridges stronger and last longer.