ST. MICHAEL'S ONLINE MAGAZINE EXPLORES COVERED BRIDGES
Three St. Michael's College Juniors took on a special project writing about the covered bridges of Vermont for the ECHO, the college's on-line magazine. The magazine serves the campus and the surrounding community.
       On Saturday, November 9, Michael O'Brien, Nathan Formalarie, and Zachary Cook "took a road trip acquiring footage of bridges in Tunbridge, Waitsfield, and some other areas around north central VT." They also did their homework, interviewing John Weaver, Vermont Covered Bridge Society vice president, and by e-mail, Joe Nelson, author of Spanning Time, Vermont's Covered Bridges. They recorded their experiences in their own unique way.
       Says Michael O'Brien (mobrien@smcvt.edu): "We are proud of our finished product. . . . It was tough because we only got to cover a small portion of the state, and we could have had much more info., but our goal was to focus on the technology and make the site mainly visual. We did the best we could condensing the info. We have, in the end, gained a great appreciation for covered bridges and rural Vermont."
       To view the ECHO Magazine article, go to the Link Page on www.vermontbridges.com

ARSONIST HITS NEWFIELD COVERED BRIDGE (32-55-01)
Newfield, NY, Nov. 2 - The Tompkins County Sheriffs Office and the Newfield Fire Department responded to a fire on the floor of the Newfield Covered Bridge 1:30 a.m.
       Someone had stacked wooden pallets and set them on fire. Firemen dragged the burning pallets off the bridge. The bridge floor sustained damage to a depth of half an inch.
       The bridge remained closed Friday while arson investigators from the sheriffs office and the highway department assessed the damage.
[From an Ithaca Journal clipping contributed br Dick Wilson -Ed.]

NEWS FROM NORTHEAST KINGDOM BRIDGE-WATCH

Randall Bridge at Lyndon, Vt.. (45-03-07) Photo by Joe Nelson, 1997

We have today completed a $16,000 FEMA funded repair on the west abutment of the Randall Bridge. The work was done by Aquateck from Maine. Engineering studies are being prepared to complete the abutment work next summer. The Lyndon Historical Society has contributed 10 percent of the cost and will contribute again next summer when the entire work is complete. The Society expects to be able to replace the roof on the Randall Bridge (45-03-07) with funding from the Freeman Foundation through the Preservation Trust of Vermont.
       The Chamberlin Mill Bridge (45-03-04) on the South Branch of the Passumpsic received a new steel roof this summer as a part of the roof replacement program of VTrans.
       We are still looking for ways to do abutment work on the Sanborn Bridge (45-03-05) damaged during the spring flood. This is of course privately owned although Mr. Elliott [owner of the Lynburke Motel and the Sanborn Bridge] may be interested in selling or giving the bridge to improve the situation. He certainly doesn't want to spend money on the bridge since he is still accounting for motel damages from the [spring] flood.
              - Jim and Mary Fearon at Cattail Corners

TWO MORE CHARGED IN RYOT BRIDGE FIRE (38-05-17)
Two additional arrests were made Tuesday evening for the Aug. fire that destroyed a historical covered bridge in Bedford Co.

Ryot Bridge, Bedford County, Pa. (38-05- 17) Photo by Joe Nelson, 10/16/02

       State police said Joshua Bartholomew, 19 of Schellsburgh and a 16 year-old of Lancaster, PA. were each charged Tues. with arson, conspiracy, burglary, theft and causing or risking a catastrophe.
       The 16 yr. old was taken to the Cambria County Juvenile Detention Home to await his hearing in Bedford Co. Juvenile court. Bartholomew was placed in Bedford Co. prison in lieu of $100,000 straight bond. He must pay the entire $100,000 before being released. . . . . Commissioners have vowed to rebuild the historic bridge, despite a cost of about $300,000.
       Police charged that the three stole a container of gasoline from a shed Aug. 14 and drove around looking for something to burn. Bartholomew and the 16 yr. old poured the gasoline on the bridge, and Sanders lit the fire, police said.
       In another related item in the Altoona Mirror dated 9/28/02, Kauffman Metals Inc. and Bedford Materials, have agreed to donate materials to help rebuild the Ryot covered bridge. Kauffman Metals will provide the roofing, and Bedford Materials will donate the decking.
[This article forwarded by David Guay. It appeared in the Altoona Mirror 9/25/02. - Ed.]

CEDAR BRIDGE ARSONED (15-61-03)
Winterset, Ia. - The Cedar Bridge, made famous in "The Bridges of Madison County," was destroyed by fire Tuesday, September 3, 2002. The state fire marshal's office has confirmed that this was an arson fire.
       A passer-by called 911 at 8:28 p.m. to report the fire. Firefighters arrived in15 minutes, however, the wooden structure burned so quickly it couldn't be saved.
       The Cedar Bridge was built in 1883 by Benton Jones using the Town Truss. Seventy-seven feet long it crossed Cedar Creek serving U.S. Route 169 two miles northeast of Winterset. It was one of six covered bridges surviving in Madison County and the last in that county still carrying traffic. It was renovated in 1998 at a cost of $128,000.
       Ten covered bridges still stand in Iowa in four counties. All of them are on the National Register of Historic Places. The last Madison County covered bridge destroyed by fire was the McBride Bridge, which was torched by an arsonist in October 1983.
       The Cedar Bridge became internationally famous after it appeared in the movie The Bridges of Madison County, based on the novel by Robert Waller. The author has offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator.
       A meeting is planned for Monday, September 9, to decide what should be done and how much reconstruction would cost. Such a project could cost between $750,000 and $1 million, it was thought. The bridge was insured for $285,000.
[This article is based on reports published in the Des Moines Register and other references. Bridgers can follow the developing story on www.dmregister.com - Ed.]

GREENBANKS HOLLOW BRIDGE TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL
[WGN 45-03-01]

Greenbanks Hollow Bridge, Danville. Vt. (45-03- 01) Photo by Mert Leonard, 11-15-02

November 15, 2002 - Unlike many rehabilitated covered bridges, the Greenbanks Hollow Bridge is being restored as a fully functioning bridge in which the new floor is not self supporting, but is supported by the trusses as the original builders intended. And good riddance to the ugly old "temporary" piers.

UNION VILLAGE BRIDGE OPENED TO TRAFFIC ( 45-09-01)

Union Village Bridge (45-09-02) Union Village, Vt. Photo by Tom Chase, 11-13-02

Thetford, Vt. - The Union Village Covered Bridge reopened Wednesday, November 13, 2002.
       The project was described as the rehabilitation of the existing Union Village Covered Bridge and the addition of new glulam floor support beams on reinforced concrete foundations.
       Original member replacement include portions of the bottom chord on both the north and south trusses and replacement of some vertical members in each truss. The roof rafters were replaced and a new glulam deck installed on glulam stringers and floor beams. A new copper roof and interior lighting was installed as well.
       The low bid price was $609,213 and was submitted by Alpine Construction. The resident engineer was Tom Chase and the VTrans project manager was Warren Tripp.
       Project completion was targeted for mid-November. Special funding for 100% of the project construction costs was received through Senator James Jeffords."

HISTORIC BRANDON SPAN IS DISMANTLED FOR REPAIR
October 20, 2002 (from the Rutland Herald, County section)
By Ed Barna Herald Correspondent
Brandon - The Sanderson covered bridge is no longer covered. In fact, at least temporarily, it isn't even a bridge any more.
       As the first step in an $830,000 repair job, the Blow & Cote construction company of Morrisville has used cranes to systematically remove the 160-year-old wooden structure from its Otter Creek crossing on Pearl Street.
       According to Brandon Public Works director Bruce Rounds, the work that began Aug. 19 has this month brought the dismantling of the 132-foot bridge's roof, then the siding, then the floor, then the cross-timbers linking the two sides. The sides, known as trusses, are what hold up a covered bridge. The Sanderson Bridge's two trusses known as Town lattices after their inventor, Ithiel Town now lie on their sides by the river where they can be further dismantled.
       The bridge was closed in 1987 after a state bridge inspection found serious deficiencies in the timber-framed structure. Among other problems, its metal roofing had ended at the edge of the roof, without any eaves, so that water kept running down the sides and ultimately rotting out key timbers at the bottom of the bridge. Also, the Select Board realized that trucks using the bridge-- even the town's loaded dump trucks doing road maintenance-- were exceeding the statutory 8-ton limit for wooden bridges. The contract for the bridge restoration specifies that it should safely carry 20 tons.
       At first, voters decided to save the old bridge as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing, and create a concrete and steel bridge at a new crossing north of the present site. But during a preliminary investigation of the proposed crossing route, state-contracted archaeologists discovered a wealth of Native American remains, which they said should be researched before any road is built. When it became clear that the scientific investigation might add as much as $200,000 to the cost--meaning a $20,000 local share at that time--there was a petitioned re-vote.
       The second town meeting chose to rebuild and reinforce the old bridge. The importance of the archaeological site can be seen in the way the Division for Historic Preservation has ordered Blow & Cote to keep their operations out of the cornfield on the north side of Pearl Street, Rounds said.
       Artifacts from the first digs were supposed to come to Brandon for a historic exhibit, but are still somewhere in New Jersey, he said.
       Among covered bridge preservationists, the idea of beefing up covered bridges to carry 20-ton loads has become controversial. Typically, many of the original timbers are replaced by synthetic materials like glue-laminated boards, or glulam. Rounds said every effort will be made to retain original wood, though most of it will have to be replaced due to extensive damage. There will have to be some glulam, but it will be hidden below the bridge, rather than changing the historic appearance of the structure, he said.
       Round said reconstruction of the bridge itself might be completed by January. With other work on foundations and the site, the entire project has a tentative completion date of June 2003.
       Adding all the previous expenses to the contract with Blow & Cote, it will cost about $1.2 million to put the Sanderson bridge back in place and remove the temporary steel girder bridge that has connected Brandon and Sudbury for 15 years, Rounds said.
       Federal covered-bridge money obtained by Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., had been targeted for the work, but due to scheduling, that money will actually help with other bridges on the Agency of Transportation repair list.
       Waiting for 15 years has had one positive effect, Rounds noted. The local share has swung between 10 percent and 5 percent, but now is pegged to be only 5 percent, or $41,500 for this year's work. The Select Board has already allocated money for the project in regular budgets.
[Ed Barna is Author of "Covered Bridges of Vermont," Countryman Press, and is on the Board of Directors of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society - Ed.]

RESEARCHING VERMONT'S BRIDGES
by Charlie Elflein
       Back in the late '80s, the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc. formed a committee to discuss which bridges should be included in the 1989 edition of the World Guide to Covered Bridges. Some wanted everything listed; others favored only authentic wooden spans. The latter option won out, and only bridges with a true truss were featured in this guidebook used by bridgers everywhere.
       At a NSPCB meeting in Foxboro, MA, the committee wanted volunteers to select a state and do further research to make the text as accurate as possible. While I am interested in covered bridges everywhere, Vermont's old spans have always held the greatest appeal to me. It was in the Green Mountain State where I first became "hooked" on them, and I still feel no place has prettier settings for its timbered tunnels. Because of this, I gladly volunteered to do further research on Vermont's covered bridges for the World Guide.
       The next question was: How will I find out information on the state's bridges? To me, the easiest method was to draft a short questionnaire and send a copy to every town in Vermont that had a covered bridge. It was short and easy to complete. The survey basically asked the following questions: Most common name of bridge; name of road the span was on; and mostly importantly, what year the structure was built. To in sure a reply, a self-addressed, stamped envelope was included with each letter.
       This research project turned out much better than expected. The response from town clerks and historical societies was great! Many included little "tidbits" about the bridges and expressed local pride in them. It's always reassuring to know that others feel sympathetic to our cause of historic preservation.
       Being solely interested in old, historic covered spans, I was determined to find up-to-date information on construction dates. Here are some of the results from my survey:

Town Cambridge Guilford Randolph Randolph Randolph Stowe Troy Tunbridge Weathersfield

Bridge Name Scott Green River Kingsbury Gifford Blaisdell Stowe Hollow Upper Flint Upper Falls

Year Built 1872 1873 1902 1883* 1883* c1900 c1885 1874 1851

Source owner of nearby antique shop Guilford Town Clerk Randolph Hist. Society Randolph Hist. Society Randolph Hist. Society Stowe Town Clerk Troy Town Clerk Tunbridge Town Clerk Weathersfield Hist. Society

(* Gifford and Blaisdell bridges were covered in 1904)
       These "year built" dates are different from what has been published in the past in various sources. Since this information was received over a decade ago, I cannot guarantee it is still accurate. In recent years, many people have researched local history and may have found "new" old information.
       Two of the most interesting responses were from Cambridge and Randolph. It always bothered me not having a year of construction for the Burr arch bridge spanning Brewster River south of Jeffersonville. At the time, I remember an antique shop in a mill (with a waterwheel) on Rte. 108 near the covered span. I sent a survey to the owner, and he responded with: "We have always called it Scott Bridge, and it was built in 1872."
       Mr. Wes Herwig, president of the Randolph Historical Society, was one of the most helpful. He did extensive research on the town's bridges, especially the Second Branch of the White River. According to Mr. Herwig, Kingsbury Bridge was completed in the fall of 1902, making it probably the last historic covered span constructed on a public highway in Vermont. This date was verified by a local farmer who clearly remembered seeing the multiple-kingpost truss bridge being built at the time.
       Mr. Herwig also stated that Gifford and Blaisdell bridges were constructed in 1883 as half-height, multiple-kingpost pony trusses. Each truss was enclosed but there was no roof over the entire structure. Both of these spans were completely covered in 1904.
       It is interesting to note that only Bennington, Lamoille, Windham and Windsor counties have had booklets published describing covered bridges within their boundaries. With the formation of the VCBS, interest in our bridges is growing stronger day by day. I would like to encourage every member to continue this project of finding out more information on our old bridges. Visit your town clerk, talk to the local historical society, and chat with folks who live near the bridges. Like a "treasure chest," there's a wealth of historical data out there just waiting to be discovered!

Knapps Covered Bridge, (38-08-01) Bradford County, Pa. Photo by C. Knapp, 11-19-02 Dear Bridger: Happy Holidays!        On October 2, when we were visiting Knapp's Covered Bridge we saw workers hard at work scraping lead paint. There was a man from the D.E.C. there making sure it was taken care of properly, also checking Brown's Creek.        We made another trip back on November 19 and found them roofing. It was a hard job as it was so very windy, cold and there were snow showers. The foreman we talked to said barring any more delays completion date of early January was expected. He said they were about a month and a half behind.        Chuck visited the bridge on November 19 and found the roof completed and work had started on the floor and sides.        We will keep you posted on the progress of Knapp's Covered Bridge. Take care and God bless.               Nancy Knapp.

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COVERED BRIDGE POSTCARDS FOR SALE! (800) (2) (11) (100) (3) 14 (1) (1) 3by5 modern covered bridges all in USA 3by5 Somerset County, PA long-gone of PA 4by6 PA 4by6 of Ontario Canada views of PA 4by6 5by7 of Breezewood, Bedford County, PA 5by7 of Cornwall, CT The postcard list Plastic place mat list $0.10 each $0.30 each $0.50 each $0.25 each $0.50 each $0.35 each $0.59 each $0.35 each $6.41 each $0.49 each Plus postage and handling. No stamps accepted as payment please. Make check or money order payable to Robert L. Damery, 2000 Burma Road, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168- 8302 Return to top Joe Nelson, P.O Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267 No part of this web site may be reproduced without the written permission of Joseph C. Nelson This file posted December 7, 2002