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Covered Bridge

Power House Covered Bridge in in Johnson Vermont

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The Power House Covered Bridge, also known as the School Street Covered Bridge, is a covered bridge from 1872 that crosses the Gihon River off State Route 100C in Johnson, Vermont, US. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The bridge’s name is from a now obsolete hydroelectric generating station just upstream from it. The bridge is of Queen post truss design by an unknown builder.

The Power House Covered Bridge is located east of the village of Johnson, on School Street just west of Vermont Route 100C. It cross the Gihon River, a tributary of the Lamoille River in a roughly east–west orientation. It is a single-span Queen post truss structure, 63.5 feet (19.4 m) long and 19 feet (5.8 m), with a roadway width of 16 feet (4.9 m) (one lane). The bridge rests on stone abutments faced in concrete, and is covered by a gabled metal roof. The exterior is clad in vertical board siding, which extends around to the insides of the portals. On the sides, the siding does not extend all the way to the roof, leaving an open strip. The trusses include iron rods for stability, and have had metal plates added to some of the joints for increased strength.

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Wright’s Bridge in Newport New Hampshire

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Wright’s Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Newport, New Hampshire. Originally built in 1906 to carry the Boston and Maine Railroad across the Sugar River, it now carries the multi-use Sugar River Trail. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Wright’s Bridge is located in a rural setting in western Newport, spanning the Sugar River about 1,200 feet (370 m) west of the trail’s intersection with Chandler Mill Road. The bridge is a single-span Town double-lattice truss structure which has been reinforced by laminated arches. The bridge spans 122 feet (37 m), with 6 feet (1.8 m) of overhang at each end, and rests on granite abutments. Its exterior is finished with vertical board siding extending to about 2 feet (0.61 m) below the eaves. The portals have vertical boards along the sides, and horizontal boards above the opening. Elements of the trusses and arches are joined by a combination of wooden pegging, iron reinforcing rods, and metal turnbuckles.

The bridge is named for S. K. Wright, who sold this portion of the railroad right-of-way in 1871. The first bridge on the site was built soon afterward, by the Sugar River Railroad which originally built this section of railroad. Its successor, the Boston & Maine, built this replacement structure in 1906.

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Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge in Swanzey New Hampshire

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The Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge, also known as the Cresson Bridge, is a wooden covered bridge carrying Sawyers Crossing Road over the Ashuelot River in northern Swanzey, New Hampshire. Built in 1859 to replace an older bridge, it continues to serve as a part of Swanzey’s transportation network, and is one of the state’s few surviving 19th-century covered bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

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Middle Covered Bridge in Woodstock Vermont.

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The Middle Covered Bridge in Woodstock was built in 1969 replacing an iron bridge that had been in use since 1877. The Middle Covered Bridge was constructed following traditional methods. Wooden pegs were used instead of nails, and the bridge was built on dry land and then pulled across the river on scaffolding drawn by oxen walking a capstan. With every turn of the capstan the bridge was pulled 3 1/3 inches closer to its final destination

On May 11, 1974, the bridge was set afire by arsonists. It took three years, and almost $55,000 to complete the required repairs.

In addition to the Middle Covered Bridge in the village, Woodstock has two other covered bridges, which are located in the hamlets of Taftsville and West Woodstock. The Taftsville Covered Bridge was severely damaged in 2011 by Tropical Storm Irene. After extensive renovations it reopened in 2013.

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Honeymoon Covered Bridge in Jackson New Hampshire.

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In 1873, town residents debated whether to build and/or repair at least two bridges that crossed the Wildcat River.[1] Honeymoon Bridge was built in 1876, just south of the confluence of the Wildcat with the Ellis River, by Charles Austin Broughton and his son Frank. The Broughton family owned a dairy farm on the east side of the Saco River. Serving in the Civil War, Charles had carpentry skills needed to do the work. In 1899, the town of Jackson paid the Goodrich Falls Electric Company to illuminate the bridge. The sidewalk on the side of the bridge was added in 1930 according to town records, and improvements were done in 1965 to improve visibility and provide parking. In 2001 the bridge received a US$64,000 grant that provided for the installation of a fire protection system that included sprinklers, among other things. Further rehabilitation of the bridge was completed three years later. Today, Honeymoon Bridge is an often-photographed tourist attraction.

 

Honeymoon Bridge is one of 20 examples of the Paddleford truss design. The bridge was nicknamed “Honeymoon” bridge from the tradition of lovers kissing under it for good luck. The name dates to at least 1936, with bridge historian Adelbert M. Jakeman possibly giving the bridge its nickname. Honeymoon Bridge is designated as Covered Bridge 51 by the state.

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