Covered bridges of the Northeast

132 Pages·1983·17.2 MB·English

by  Richard Sanders Allen

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, 'Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey

Covered Bridges
OF THE NORTHEAST
Books by the Same Author
Covered Bridges of the Midwest
Covered Bridges of the South
Revolution in the Sky
Rare Old Covered Bridges of Windsor County
Covered Bridges of the Middle Atlantic States
Covered Bridges
OF THE
NOR THE AST
BY
RICHARD SANDERS ALLEN
Revised Edition
1982
The Stephen Greene Press
LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author is grateful to Walter Hard, Jr., Editor of Vermont Life, and to David P. Morgan,
Editor of Trains, for permission to use, in somewhat altered form, material which has appeared
in their publications. George Daly drew the diagrams, sketches and maps required by the
text. The charts in Appendices I and II were executed by Philip A. Hall. Much credit is due
Janet Greene for needed assistance in the organization, continuity and proofreading of the book.
The author is grateful to E. H. Royce, of St. Albans, Vermont, for his photographs of Vermont’s
Pompanoosuc and Henry bridges used for the jacket and end papers respectively. Gredit for
other photographs, again with thanks, go to the following (reading left to right across the page,
then down): Frontispiece (Best’s Bridge, West Windsor, Vt.)—Howard G. Bogue; p. 2—New
York Herald Tribune, Inc.; p. 4 (top)—Maine Highway Dept.; p. 5—N.E.A. Service, Inc.; p. 12
—George B. Pease Goll.; p. 15—George B. Pease Coll.; p. 16—E. H. Royce; p. 17 (bottom) —
Don McPherson, Minnesota Historical Soc.; p. 19—E. H. Royce, I. Walter Moore; p. 22—Lura W.
Watkins Coll.; p. 23—N.E.A. Service, Inc.; p. 24 (bottom) through 27—Ladislav Dejnozka;
p. 28—Dartmouth College archives, Ladislav Dejnozka; p. 29—Mrs. Hiram R. Gatchell; p. 30—
Ladislav Dejnozka; p. 32—Dr. Frank B. Hayner; p. 34—H. F. Eastman Coll.; p. 35—H. E.
Lamb Coll.; p. 36—two from H. F. Eastman Coll.; p. 37—Richard B. Pease; p. 38—Orrin H.
Lincoln, Howard C. Bogue; p. 41—E. H. Royce Coll., H. E. Langley; p. 44—George B. Pease
Coll.; p. 46 (bottom)—Lucy G. Loekle, Raymond Brainerd; p. 47—Orrin H. Lincoln, Raymond
Brainerd, two by Howard C. Bogue; p. 48—three by Raymond Brainerd; p. 51—E. H. Royce Coll.;
p. 52—two by John L. Warner, Vermont Life; p. 53—E. H. Royce; p. 55—E. H. Royce Coll.; pp.
59-63—E. H. Royce; p. 67 (bottom)—Mass. Dept, of Commerce; pp. 69, 70—Mass. Dept, of
Commerce; p. 71—Old Sturbridge Village; p. 72—Orrin H. Lincoln, Raymond Brainerd; p. 73—
Elmer M. White; p. 76—Lucy G. Loekle; p. 77—Orrin H. Lincoln, Raymond Brainerd, H. C.
McKay; p. 79—N.E.A. Service, Inc.; p. 80 (left)—The Call (Woonsocket, R.I.); p. 83—Truman J.
Moon; p. 84 (top)—Union College; p. 85 (bottom right)—John L. Warner; p. 86—Lucy G. Loekle,
New York Public Library; p. 87—John L. Warner, Roy W. Whipple, Howard C. Bogue, New York
State Historical Assn.; p. 88 (bottom)—Henry Vogel; p. 89 (top)—Arthur E. Pflanz; p. 92—
Orrin H. Lincoln; p. 93—C. B. Cranmer; p. 95—E. H. Royce Coll.; p. 99 (bottom)—United
Features Syndicate; p. 100—J. T. Dizer, Henry A. Gibson; p. 101—Glenn A. Wagner; p. 102—
Lura W. Watkins Coll., E. H. Royce; p. 105—Lucy G. Loekle; p. 106—E. H. Royce Coll.; p. 107
(top left) —Ernest G. Shepardson. All photographs not included in this list are from the library
of the author, whose collection includes considerable material from the collections of Charlotte
P. Goddard, and the late H. B. Nields and Dorothy P. Harvey.
Copyright © 1957, 1974, 1983 by The Stephen Greene Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or other, without written permission from the publisher.
This book has been produced in the United States of America. It is published by The Stephen
Greene Press, Lexington, Massachusetts. Distributed by Viking Penguin Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Allen, Richard Sanders, 1917-
Covered bridges of the Northeast.
Bibliography; p.
1. Covered bridges—Northeastern States. I. Title.
TG23.1.A44 1974 917.4'04'4 74-7290
ISBN 0-8289-0202-X (c)
ISBN 0-8289-0439-1 (p)
FIRST EDITION PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER I9S7 (hardcover)
REVISED EDITION PUBLISHED MAY 1974 (hardcover)
SECOND REVISED EDITION PUBLISHED MAY 1983 (paperback)
Reprinted 1985
CONTENTS
I THEIR PLACE IN OUR PAST 1
II THE BONES OF A BRIDGE 6
III THE BUILDERS: Unsung Pioneers of Engineering 10
IV METHODS AND TOOLS 20
V STATE BY STATE 33
MAINE: Wood to Spare 33
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Granite Base for Wooden Spans 40
VERMONT: Collectors’ Paradise 50
MASSACHUSETTS: The Proving Ground 64
CONNECTICUT: Birthplace of Builders 73
RHODE ISLAND: Only Memories 78
NEW YORK: Gateway to the West 80
NEW lERSEY: Sunset in the Garden State 90
VI SMOKE UNDER THE EAVES: The Railroad Bridges 94
VH TODAY AND TOMORROW 103
APPENDICES: I. Tabulation of Existing Covered Bridges 107
II. Distribution by Type 114
III. Roster of Builders 115
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 116
GLOSSARY 117
INDEX 119

I
Their Place in Our Past
T
here is something about covered and thus preserve the bridge itself.
bridges. To a relatively small handful Early builders, who were experts in wood,
of zealots they represent the artistry of understood that its great enemy is moisture.
our forefathers and so must be preserved at all Wood that is alternately wet and dry soon
costs. To thousands of tourists they are rarities rots. The bridges were covered to keep the in¬
well worth braving horse-and-buggy roads to side structural timbers dry. If they were kept
find. To millions of Americans who have never dry the bridges usually lasted. Floors were
seen one they have become the symbols of expendable: the big things to protect were
the quiet and simplicity of a happier day. the supporting sides, or trusses, which gave
It is not hard to define their initial charm: the structure its strength.
it is because they are roofed. Yet it would fail That’s all there was to it. Ask any old-time
to do justice to covered bridges if it were as¬ New England carpenter why they covered
sumed that the roofs were added as an archi¬ bridges and he’ll tell you:
“Why did our grandmothers wear petti¬
tectural flourish.
Why were bridges covered? coats? To protect their underpinning. Why
The question seems to be as old as the did they cover bridges? Likewise.”
But even such a sound informant may be
bridges themselves. Well, they were not cov¬
hazy about where you could find a worth¬
ered to protect the user, his horse or his load
while specimen, unless one still existed in his
of hay. They were not covered so that horses
own bailiwick. Like most people, he’d allow
would think they were barns, or to prevent
that covered bridges are seen here and there;
old Dobbin from shying at the glint of water.
but also like most people he might be under
They were not roofed just because their
the impression that they are nearly vanished
builders were trained in putting up barn-like
landmarks. This is certainly not the case. Re¬
structures, or because bridges with roofs were
cent surveys show the existence of well over
preferred over iron bridges which might at¬
one thousand covered bridges in the United
tract lightning. Nor were they covered to
States and Canada. In some areas of southern
keep snow off the floor: old town reports dis¬
Pennslyvania and Ohio, and in rural Quebec
pute this idea with their entries for “snowing
they are a not uncommon means of crossing
the bridges.” And certainly they were not cov¬
ered, as one tongue-in-cheek theory has it, the many streams.
Rock-ribbed Yankees will probably be sur¬
to prevent a traveler’s knowing what kind of
prised to learn that 80 percent of all covered
town he was approaching until it was too late
bridges standing today are located outside
to turn back.
their territory. Pennsylvania leads all her sis¬
The real and only reason for covering
ter states without a struggle for supremacy,
bridges—discounting all tales, theories and
having over 200 covered spans within her
legends—was to protect the wooden skeleton
2
COVERED BRIDGES OF THE NORTHEAST
borders. The nearest competitor is Ohio with left at all. An inheritance from early America,
well over 100, followed by Indiana with just these existing Northeastern spans represent
under 100. covered bridge types everywhere and are, in
The number of covered bridges in the many instances, examples of great advances
Northeast has dwindled to 192. This figure in¬ in bridge engineering.
cludes 7 railroad bridges and 185 highway More people than you’d suspect can recall
spans—ones big enough to carry vehicular the covered bridges they knew and delighted
traffic—of which the great majority are on in during their youth. Children, especially,
public roads, several are open to the public have always been attracted to covered
as historical exhibits and a handful (also full- bridges. The smell in the darkened tunnel was
sized) are on private property. Vermont has a delicate aroma of wood shavings, ammonia,
the most, with 92 highway and 2 railroad hay and horse manure—hardly Chanel No. 5,
bridges. New Hampshire is second with 46 but a scent that, once sniffed, could never be
plus 5 carrying railroads. Unknown to most forgotten. After a trudge in the hot sun, bare
New Yorkers, 25 covered bridges are still to toes sifted the cool dust on the bridge floor
be found in the Empire State. Massachusetts and knew a wonderful feeling. Light, reflected
has 9; Maine, 9; Connecticut, 3, and New from the water below, would flicker up
Jersey just 1. Rhode Island, where some of the through the floorboards to make dancing spots
greatest of these bridges once stood, has none on the rafters, shimmering and ever-changing.
A worm-baited fishline dangling down
THE THRILL THAT COMES ONCE IN A LIFETIME through a hole in the floor sometimes pro¬
duced a whopper.
The rafters were a great place for acro¬
batics, and to be able to swing like Tarzan
hand over hand from beam to beam was an
accomplishment only the biggest boys could
master. The more daring of the girls, espe¬
cially the tomboys, would compromise their
dignity by skittering up and over the wide
flat arches, skirts flying.
Experience determined whether you loved
a bridge or held it a bit in fear. To cross at
night was like passing a graveyard. You could
always imagine that there were robbers hid-
ing high above you in the dark, just waiting to
drop down upon the unsuspecting traveler. A
good hearty whistle often served to bolster a
small boy’s courage as he tramped as fast as his
short legs could carry him through the dark
shadows of a long bridge, for to run would
be to admit you were scared.
Snug at home in bed you could listen to the
rumblings and hoofbeats, and learn to tell
who was crossing. Clop! Clop! Clop! That
would be Deacon Haverly on his way home
from prayer meeting. A rattle and flying hoofs