Vermont has over 100 covered bridges, the highest number of covered bridges per square miles in the United States. 90 of those covered bridges have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. So of course it only made sense to do some covered bridge hunting while visiting the state.
These covered bridges are a landmark centerpiece of a quaint setting in rural New England. With that being said, most of them are off of the beaten path, but are worth the effort put forth to see.
A covered bridge is a timber structure supporting a deck surface that serves as a way to navigate over an obstruction such as a river, stream, railroad or roadway. The primary purpose of the roof over the bridge was to protect the structural timbers from the harsh weather conditions in the area. The roof preserved the supporting trusses which without the covering would fail in a few years because of rot and deterioration during a time period when treated wood was not available.
Bridge builders quickly saw that simply adding a roof over the structure paid off in the end financially. Outside of the protection it provided, there are a few reasons for covering the bridge itself: it added support to the side supporting trusses and walls, it provided internal bracing that more easily tolerated the lateral loads from the wind, the walls and roof also provided security to calm animals crossing the waters below which scared livestock and caused stampeding.
During the 19th century the number of covered bridges in Vermont reached over 700. The flooding that took place in 1927 destroyed approximately 100 of those bridges. By 1940, automobiles became the primary mode of transportation and less than 200 bridges remained. Because of time, conditions, cost and a decrease in use, the number of structures decreased even further to the amount that remain today.
So how do you find these covered bridges if you are visiting? Funny you should ask. Sure, there are some that you can find by simply typing covered bridge within the search bar in Apple or Google Maps. However, the vast majority of them do not show and you will need to do a bit more to find those hidden gems.
The website that I used to find all of the bridges that I visited was vermontvacation.com, they have an incredibly user friendly map that showed all of the locations of the bridges in the state and surrounding areas. My favorite function of this interactive map was when clicking on the individual pins within the map, it showed you the name of the bridge and the exact coordinates to its location.
This made finding each bridge incredibly easy! Like I mentioned earlier, a lot of these structures are off of the beaten path and having the exact coordinates made finding them extremely easy.
The first weekend that I was in the state I visited 10 different bridges, let’s take a closer look at some of them!
Starting in the town of Montgomery which is located in the region of the state that is called the Northeast Kingdom. The northeast corner of Vermont, bordering Canada and New Hampshire known for its wide valleys, rugged mountains and glacial lakes. This town is better known as being Vermont’s covered bridge town due to the number of covered bridges that were within the town’s limits. As recently as the 1940s there were thirteen covered bridges within the town’s limits and today, there are six still standing.
Longley Covered Bridge
44.90723, -72.6556
Built in 1863 by brothers Sheldon and Savannah Jewett, it is the oldest surviving covered bridge in the area. The Jewett brothers operated a sawmill in the Montgomery West Hill area and they prepared all of the wood for these covered bridges at their sawmill. The Jewett brothers are also credited for building all seven of the surviving covered bridges in the area today, allowing this town to be known in Vermont for having the highest concentration of bridges in the state with a single attributed builder.
For the next covered bridge we are heading west to the shores of Lake Champlain to the town of Charlotte.
Lakeshore Covered Bridge
44.33305, -73.28232
The Lakeshore Covered Bridge, also called the Holmes Creek Covered Bridge, is a one-lane wooden covered bridge that crosses Holmes Creek in Charlotte, VT on Lake Road, adjacent to Charlotte Beach. This bridge was built in 1870 and is of King post truss with tied arch design, one of only three left standing in the state. This bridge is also located at the lowest of elevations within the state due to its proximity to Lake Champlain. According to the placard on the bridge, the bridge’s height and width was set to accommodate passage of “a load of hay, high and wide.”
After viewing the bridge mentioned above, I got back in my car and headed a little further south to see the next bridge.
Old Hollow Covered Bridge
44.23745, -73.23198
Old Hollow Covered Bridge, also called the Spade Farm Covered Bridge, was originally located in North Ferrisburgh, VT on Old Hollow Road. Historians believe that the build date of the bridge was around 1850 and was built by Justin Miller. In 1958 a local farmer, Sam Spade, asked to have the bridge moved to his farm after it was slated to be dismantled and replaced by a modern bridge in its original location. It was then moved to the location it still sits at today crossing a storm drainage ditch off of State Route 7.
The next bridge is the most photographed bridge in Woodstock and was the first covered bridge to be built by the State of Vermont in 1969.
Middle Covered Bridge
43.62467, -72.52048
The Middle Covered Bridge is the second youngest in the state but that does not mean that it lacks any charm. This bridge spans the Ottaquechee River and is a very well known landmark in Woodstock, Vermont’s most visited village. The traditional character and picturesque setting have helped this bridge become a tourist favorite. This covered bridge was built to replace an iron bridge that was built in 1877, making it the first covered bridge built in the state in 80 years.
Last bridge feature is one that was only a handful of miles away from where I was staying while in Vermont.
Red Covered Bridge
44.51858, -72.67775
Built in 1896, the Red Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge that crosses the Sterling Brook in Morristown, Vermont. This is the only surviving 19th-century bridge in the town and is one of the last to be built during the period of covered bridge construction in the state. This covered bridge is in a pretty rural area but the unique color makes the trek to this bridge absolutely worth it.
It is funny to look at all of the hobbies I have acquired along the way on my travels. All of the new things I have been able to see, experience and learn about. Covered bridge hunting might not be on your bucket list, hell, you might not have ever given two thoughts to the infamous Vermont structures.
Surprisingly, or maybe not so, that was me.
Until I found myself living in a little mountain town in Vermont, spending an entire Saturday looking for as many covered bridges that I could find.