Connecticut and Rhode Island Covered Bridges
by William Caswell, Jr.
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128 pages containing 200 photos and historical notes
During their heyday in the mid- to late 1800s, more than 150 covered bridges
dotted the landscape of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Since that time, floods,
fires, and progress have claimed almost all of the historic structures. Covered
bridges were heavily concentrated in the hills of northwestern Connecticut,
spanning the Farmington, Housatonic, and Naugatuck Rivers.
In Rhode Island, most were built by
the railroads in Woonsocket, Providence, and other communities in the northern
part of the state, though few pictures are known to exist. Connecticut was the
birthplace of two of the nation's best-known covered bridge designers: Ithiel
Town and Theodore Burr. Half of the covered ridges currently standing in the
United States are supported by trusses patented by Town or Burr.
$22.00 each + $4.95 shipping for 1 or 2 books.
Send your check payable to Bill Caswell, 535 Second NH Turnpike, Hillsboro, NH 03244
(To credit our save-a-bridge program please mark your check "VCBS" in the memo area)
Covered Bridges of New England -DVD
Produced by Ocean State Video of Rhode Island for Public Television.
Profits will go to the Vermont covered Bridge Society's Save-A-Bridge Program.
For your copy send $8.00 plus $3.00 shipping to VCBS, c/o Joe Nelson, P.O. Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267.
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New York State Covered Bridge Driving Tour Now Available!
Would you like to see all of New York State's Covered Bridges at your leisure in the comfort of your own vehicle? Well now you can! The New York State
Covered Bridge Driving Tour is a spiral bound, full color tour which includes turn by turn directions and color photographs of each of New York's authentic and historic
covered bridges.
Included are the statistics on each bridge and an in-teresting history of the bridge and the surrounding town, and old postcards of how the bridges looked during an
earlier time.
To obtain a copy of the tour, contact: Bob and Trish Kane, 167 Williams Rd., Sherburne, NY 13460, 607-674-9656
E-Mail: bob-trish68@frontiernet.net
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I Love Covered Bridges bumper sticker
3" x 11.5"
Send $3.95 for each bumper sticker to VCBS, c/o Joe Nelson, P.O. Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267.
Shipping: send a self-stamped, self addressed #10 ennvelope. Up to two stickers can be mailed for 63 cents postage.
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Vermont Covered Bridge Society Patch
3.5" Diameter
Send $3.95 for each patch to VCBS, c/o Joe Nelson, P.O. Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267.
Shipping: send a self-stamped, self addressed envelope. Up to three patches can be mailed for 63 cents postage.
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Vermont Covered Bridge Society Cling Sticker
3.5" Diameter
Send $3.95 for each patch to VCBS, c/o Joe Nelson, P.O. Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267.
Shipping: send a self-stamped, self addressed envelope. Up to three stickers can be mailed for 63 cents postage.
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Hyde Hall Covered Bridge Christmas Ornament
The Friends of Glimmerglass State Park in New York are making a Christmas ornament available of the Hyde Hall covered bridge. The ornament can be purchased at the Friends of
Glimmerglass State Park web store http://www.friendsofglimmerglass.com/apps/webstore/ for the cost of $15.00.
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Images of America
New York State's Covered Bridges
by Bob and Trish Kane
At one time, New York State had over 300 covered bridges, but over the years, floods, fires and modernization have claimed all but 32 of them.
Both the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge and the Old Blenheim Bridge are proud record holders. Located in Glimmerglass State Park, the Hyde Hall Covered
Bridge is the oldest existing covered bridge in the United States. The Old Blenheim Bridge was the longest single-span covered bridge in
the world until it was washed away by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 when the Schoharie Creek flooded. Today, Oxford, New York, is home to the Theodore
Burr Covered Bridge Resource Center, which was specifically designed for covered bridge researches - the first-ever center of its kind.
About the Authors
Bob and Trish Kane first developed an interest in covered bridge in 1991 while vacationing in Vermont. Bob enjoys studying their architecture and
trusses, while Trish enjoys researching their history and photographing them. Her photography has been featured in Pennsylvania Magazine, the I Love NY
State Autumn Tourism Guide and many calendars. Even with a busy life and four active grandchildren, Bob and Trish somehow find time to travel and work
on covered bridge projects. Their desire to help preserve these historic structures for future generations to enjoy is more than just a desire; it is a
passion they actively pursue.
They have worked with owners of private covered bridges, county officials, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to
get New York's covered bridges listed in the State and National Register of Historic Places. To date, they have been successful in getting 10 out of the 13 that
still qualify included in these prestigious listings.
They also worked with the DeLorme Atlas Company to have the location of all existing covered bridges across the United States listed in each state's atlas.
They are co-founders of Covered Spans of Yesteryear (www.lostbridges.org), a website documenting all known covered bridges ever to have existed in the United
States and Canada, and to date, over 13,000 bridges have been recorded. Their most recent endeavor was the completion of a full-color, turn-by-turn driving tour
of New York's covered bridges
When the Kane's aren't busy with covered bridge projects, Bob spends his time in his wood working shop and 4-wheeling. He can often be seen behind the wheel
of one of the Sherburne-Earlville Central School buses. Trish retired from Colgate University in December 2013 after 32 years of service as an Administrative
Assistant. She spends most of her free time at the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Resource Center in Oxford, NY where she serves as the Collections Curator for the
center with much assistance from Bob.
For information on how to purchase Images of America - New York State's Covered Bridges, or a copy of their driving tour, please call them at 607-674-9656 or
contact them at: 167 Williams Rd., Sherburne, NY, 13460 or via email: bobtrish68@frontiernet.net.
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Joe Nelson, P.O Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267
This file revised 05/07/2023
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