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Covered Bridges of
New England

Spring/Fall 2011

Covered Bridges of New England Map


Beaver Brook Falls in New Hampshire.
Beaver Brook Falls

Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon faith, was born near Sharon, VT.
Mormon founder's birthsite

Hurricane Irene wiped out several bridges.
Effects of Irene

A few years had passed since our excursions to see the lighthouses of northern and southern New England. We had found it to be a particularly rewarding experience as it got us out of the house (and from underneath our laptops) to see some of this part of the country that we wouldn’t normally see. We were getting the feeling that our days in New England were numbered, and we wanted to create a similar photo essay that would help us get to know the interior of New England. We thought about some potential subjects such as the beautiful old churches that could be found in almost any small town, the quaint drystone walls that crisscrossed the countryside, and even the iconic brick mill buildings that were so much a part of this region’s history. But in the end, we went with the obvious choice – covered bridges.

It is generally accepted that covered bridges exist because protecting the framework from the elements by adding a roof could greatly extend the life of the bridge. Initially, the Kingpost and Queenpost truss systems used were based on European designs which extended bridges to 100 feet. However, the need to span greater distances resulted in the development of new American designs such as the Burr Arch and Town Lattice trusses which doubled the length of bridge spans between supports. The longest covered bridge in the country, the 450 foot Cornish-Windsor, was built using the Town Lattice design in 1866 and appropriately links New Hampshire with Vermont across the Connecticut River.

New England was once home to more than 1,000 covered bridges, but fewer than 200 have survived. Three quarters of those are in Vermont and New Hampshire. Sadly, even in the time we were on our quest to see some of these bridges, the number declined again. In the intervening summer between our visits to New Hampshire and Vermont, Hurricane Irene devastated the area and washed away several historic bridges such as the one in Bartonville with the subsequent flooding.

The multiple Kingpost truss system was an early covered bridge design.
Kingpost

The addition of the arch increased the span of a bridge between supports.
Burr Arch

The Town Lattice truss system allows for bridges to spany up to 200 ft between supports.
Town Lattice


Albany Bridge.
Albany Bridge

Ashuelot Bridge
Ashuelot Bridge

Remains of Bartonsville Bridge
Bartonsville Bridge

Bath Bridge
Bath Bridge

Bement Bridge
Bement Bridge

Blacksmith Shop Bridge
Blacksmith Shop Bridge

Blair Bridge
Blair Bridge

Blow Me Down Bridge
Blow Me Down Bridge

Brown Bridge
Brown Bridge

Bump
Bump Bridge

Carlton Bridge
Carlton Bridge

Cilley Bridge
Cilley Bridge

Cilleyville Bridge
Cilleyville Bridge

Clark Bridge
Clark Rail Bridge

Columbia Bridge
Columbia Bridge

Cooley Bridge
Cooley Bridge

Coombs Bridge
Coombs Bridge

Corbin Bridge
Corbin Bridge

Cornish Windsor Bridge
Cornish Windsor Bridge

Cresson Bridge
Cresson Bridge

Dalton Bridge
Dalton Bridge

Depot Bridge
Depot Bridge

Dingleton Bridge
Dingleton Bridge

Durgin Bridge
Durgin Bridge

Edgell Bridge
Edgell Bridge

Flint Bridge
Flint Bridge

Gifford Bridge
Gifford Bridge

Gorham Bridge
Gorham Bridge

Groveton Bridge
Groveton Bridge

Hammond Bridge
Hammond Bridge

Hancock Greenfield Bridge
Hancock Greenfield Bridge

Happy Corner Bridge
Happy Corner Bridge

Haverhill Bath
Haverhill Bath Bridge

Honeymoon Bridge
Honeymoon Bridge

Horton Bridge
Horton Bridge

Howe Bridge
Howe Bridge

Keniston Bridge
Keniston Bridge

Kingsbury Bridge
Kingsbury Bridge

Kingsley Bridge
Kingsley Bridge

Larkin Bridge
Larkin Bridge

McDermott Bridge
McDermott Bridge.

Mechanic Street Bridge
Mechanic Street Bridge

Meriden Bridge
Meriden Bridge

Mill Bridge
Mill Bridge

Mount Orne Bridge
Mount Orne Bridge

Moxley Bridge
Moxley Bridge

Nissitissit Bridge
Nissitissit Bridge

Packard Hill Bridge
Packard Hill Bridge

Pier Bridge
Pier Bridge

Pittsburg Clarksville Bridge
Pittsburg Clarksville Bridge

Prentiss Bridge
Prentiss Bridge

River Road Bridge
River Road Bridge

Riverwalk Bridge
Riverwalk Bridge

Rowell Bridge
Rowel Bridgel

Saco River Bridge
Saco River Bridge

Sanderson Bridge
Sanderson Bridge

Slate Bridge
Slate Bridge

Smith Bridge
Smith Bridge

Stark Bridge
Stark Bridge

Swift River Bridge
Swift River Bridge

Swiftwater Bridge
Swiftwater Bridge

Thompson Bridge
Thompson Bridge

Turkey Jim Bridge
Turkey Jim Bridge

Waaterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge

Worrall Bridge
Worrall Bridge

Wright Bridge
Wright Rail Bridge

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