David Topham, Treasurer, Nov thru April only: 11707 Oakmont Ct., Fort Myers, FL 33908-2825 239-433-1551;
May thru Oct: 45 Village Way No. 50, Rockport, ME 04856-3805, 207-596-7472

Sunday, October 19 NSPCB Annual Meeting at the French King Restaurant in Millers Falls, MA. See last page of newsletter for dinner reservation coupon and more information.

Dear Fellow Members, Greetings!!

This quarter, my message shall not be a lengthy one. There is first of all, the press of much other business, business which I have had to be tending to, and then there is the fact that Topics must always be mailed out quite promptly in September; adequate time has to be given to the United States Postal Service so that the Newsletter shall reach each and every one of you before the Annual Meeting.

Speaking of the Annual Meeting, I do hope that as many of you as possible shall make it over to the French King Restaurant on the third Sunday of October. Gatherings of fellow covered bridgers have long been to my taste, and the bigger the gathering, more often than not, the greater the fun. Besides, this year we have the extreme good fortune of having Joseph D. Conwill, amongst many other things the Editor of Covered Bridge Topics , as out guest speaker. He plans to talk about what might be called the sociology of who built Covered Bridges. Joseph made a similar presentation at the first Covered Bridge Best Practices Conference in Burlington, Vermont last June. His was one of the best papers presented on that occasion, so those of you who manage to get to the Annual Meeting are in for a rare treat.

Once again, please come one come all!!!!

Respecting Covered-Bridge news, and as suggested above, I shall be brief. It has been, in my view at least, a very good summer for the National Society. First of all, we were well represented at the above mentioned Burlington Covered Bridge Conference, and our preservation philosophy had, I believe, some influence upon both the form and the content of the Burlington Charter , one of the products of that conference.

(I shall have more to say about the Burlington Charter next quarter.)

Second, work is now proceeding on the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge. As most of you will remember, the plan there for this summer was to jack up the span, and then to replace the structure's bed timbers and corbels. Thanks to the many contributions members have so generously made over the years to what is now called the Eastman-Thomas Fund for Covered Bridge Preservation, the Society has been able to finance this rather expensive operation entirely with its own monies, an important first for the Society. An article will soon be published in the Newsletter of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance on the subject, an article penned by James L. Garvin, Architectural Historian for the State of New Hampshire. Further details regarding the stabilization and preservation of the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge will of course also appear on these pages subsequently.

Finally, we now have in hand the engineering report on the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge which the Society commissioned a few months back. This report was prepared for us by David C. Fischetti, P. E., of Cary, North Carolina. Mr. Fischetti, amongst other things, specializes in the detailed structural analysis of historic Covered Wooden Bridges. He is in fact a genuine timber engineer, of which rare profession there are currently not too many practitioners.

Though there is much that could -- indeed, needs -- to be said respecting this noble span, suffice it here to state that because of Mr. Fischetti's comprehensive analysis, we can now all be assured that the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge is in fact an extremely robust and beautifully proportioned span. Without going into a myriad of detail, with a 65 pound-per-square-foot load on the floor, and a 30 pound-per-square-foot snow load on the roof, plus of course the dead weight of the bridge itself, the various components of this structure have only relatively light duties to perform; just two examples: the bottom chord of the longer of the two spans at its midpoint is only subjected to a force in tension of some 110 pounds per square inch, and the two ends of the longer arches support a compressive force of but 118 pounds per square inch.

Such findings have important implications as regards the repair and stabilization of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge.

Again, without going into great detail, because the forces within the span are so relatively small, even when the structure itself is subjected to a quite considerable load, very little replacement of the historic fabric of this bridge will be necessary during the course of any repairs to it. A case in point, the floor system, about which there has been so much muddled talk; this floor system, again according to Mr. Fischetti's analysis, is more than adequate for the pedestrian loads to which it will be subjected in future, and therefore, it needs only to be repaired, not replaced.

And so on and so forth.

I shall have a great deal more to say about the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge in the winter issue of the Newsletter, so please stay tuned.

In the meantime, Happy Bridging!!!

Sincerely, your President

David W. Wright

September 16, 2003

Dear Editor:

I am writing to update the membership on the most recent developments regarding the Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge and to clarify or correct several issues raised in the Summer 2003 National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges (NSPCB) Newsletter. I was greatly concerned with the tone and statements expressed in the summer 2003 President's message, particularly since many of the issues raised were based upon an Engineering Study completed in June of 2002. Numerous meetings, discussions, presentations and rehabilitative decisions have occurred since June of 2002, altering the original recommendations put forward in this study.

I have called Mr. Wright and expressed my concerns. Mr. Wright has assured me that his comments in the last newsletter were not a personal attack upon me or my firm, Hoyle, Tanner & Associates (HTA), but rather an expression of his differences of opinions with us. I take Mr. Wright at his word that no malice was intended.

The current status of the project is as follows: HTA has submitted 60% complete plans for the Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge rehabilitation to the owners of the bridge (Towns of Haverhill and Bath, NH) and the reviewing agencies and continue to discuss many aspects of the project (see below for further discussion). The owners have decided to pursue the rehabilitation option that will retain the arches and will have a sidewalk (the option to remove the sidewalk and arches was dismissed in 2002 and was not pursued). Nearly one half of the funding for the project is in place at this time. The Towns are working with their congressional representatives to resolve the funding mechanism for the remaining funds, which the Towns have informed us, may become available at any time.

On September 11th a meeting of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) Cultural Resource Committee was held to discuss the project. This was the second such meeting held and was in addition to two (2) public Town Meeting presentations on the project. The participants in the meeting included Selectboard Representatives for the Towns of Haverhill and Bath (the owners of the bridge), a covered bridge committee with members from each Town, the New Hampshire Department of Historical Resources (NHDHR), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), Hoyle, Tanner and Associates, Inc. (HTA) and representatives of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges (NSPCB).

During this meeting all parties were allowed to discuss and comment on the current rehabilitation plans for the bridge. Much discussion of the issues took place, including a presentation of the NSPCB sponsored engineering report on the bridge. Space does not permit a complete discussion of all topics discussed in the 1-1/2 hour meeting, however of the 14 enumerated recommendations made in the NSPCB report, the current rehabilitation plans agree with 12 out of 14. The two (2) issues not in agreement are the retention of existing siding and the extent of repairs and replacement of lattice members. In addition to the issues raised in the report, there were many differing opinions on repair issues for the bridge members supporting the floor.

I have expressed to Mr. Wright my satisfaction that all parties involved with directing the rehabilitation of this bridge are in agreement on so many issues, and only two issues have some disagreement. We will strive to come to a resolution on these two issues.

There are several other points that we (HTA) feel are important to clarify. The members identified for replacement in the bridge are slated for replacement due to their poor condition and are not being removed because of a lack of theoretical structural capacity. Members in `poor condition' include those with heavy rot, impact damage from floods, fire damage, and inadequate prior repairs (most accomplished with sisters steel members and bolting). In several areas of the truss, we are repairing members in place using epoxy compounds.

Although a thorough inspection of the bridge has been made on more that one occasion, some portions of the bridge remain hidden. At the start of construction, the contractor will temporarily remove bridge members, such as siding, and install temporary shoring so that areas currently hidden from view can be fully inspected. At this point each and every member of the bridge will be once again inspected to ensure that replacement or repair is warranted. To further ensure that the historic fabric of the bridge is not unnecessarily replaced, we have requested that NHDHR be part of this inspection.

In summary, the review process for rehabilitation of this important bridge is ongoing and all opinions have been welcomed and taken into consideration by the parties involved. It does not benefit the participating parties or the project to work with outdated information. To that end, Mr. Wright and HTA are now sharing information such as reports, letters to the editor, presidential newsletters, etc. to work together. This will not only benefit the project but our Society as well.

Robert H. Durfee, P.E. Hoyle, Tanner & Associates www.hoyletanner.com Member, NSPCB

A Postscriptum to the above President's Message:

Dear Fellow Members,

By now, all of you have probably read the most recent `Letter to the Editor' from our engineering friend of Bath-Haverhill fame. Suffice it to say for the moment that there are many things in his letter with which we disagree, and others about which we hold similar views. Which matters are which, and my various thoughts regarding each of them, are for the time being of no importance, with the single exception of the subject which I am about to address here briefly. This subject arises quite naturally out of what our engineering friend wrote in the last paragraph of his `Letter to the Editor', which document is printed above; more explicitly, one could read that paragraph in such a manner as to conclude that somehow the National Society had suddenly turned its vest, regretted for one reason or another our previous public interventions in favor of a properly stabilized and preserved Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, and was now going to walk off hand-in-hand into the sunset with our engineering friend and the firm for which he works.

Nothing could be further from the truth!!

What the National Society has done, for reasons which should become immediately obvious, is to request "Official Consulting Party Status" for the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge project. I am consequently quite happy to be able to report to all of you today that `official consulting party status' has indeed been granted to our group; in other words, the voice of the National Society will be heard in all future meetings where ultimately the fate of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge will be decided. This voice may, or may not, always be the same as that of our engineering friend, or the firm which employs him.

The possibility of interested entities becoming official consulting parties was created by Section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act of 1966. It is therefore a status firmly established by Federal Law.

Consulting Parties, as the phrase suggests, have the right to be consulted; that is to say, to be present at all pertinent meetings, to receive all pertinent documents, to comment freely upon the latter, and to have any such comments taken into account and considered seriously. There is also the expectation that a fair, free albeit orderly, discussion of the issues arising from the matter at hand shall take place on the occasion of the above mentioned meetings. At the same time, it must be remembered that it will be the lead agency, in the case of the Bath-Haverhill project, it is the Federal Highway Administration, in conjunction with state and federal historical people, once again in the case of Bath-Haverhill, the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, with perhaps an assist from the federal Advisory Council on Historical Preservation, who will ultimately be making the necessary decisions, and NOT the consulting parties.

Society members may be curious to know who the consulting parties are for the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge project; they are:
1) The Town of Bath,
2) The Town of Haverhill,
3) The local Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge Committee, and finally
4) The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges.

To return to the essential point of this postscriptum, the National Society are certainly going to be sharing documents, opinions, an engineering report, and whatever other wisdom we may have accumulated during the course of our 50 some years of existence as a society, with all the parties legitimately concerned with what happens to the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, but this sharing will be taking place principally in the context of the consulting party process. I of course will also be bringing all of you up to date from time to time as to where things stand, but, as I am sure most of you will understand, the Society's primary focus for the moment is seeing that a very great National, nay, WORLD, treasure, namely the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, is properly preserved.

Sincerely, Your President,
David W. Wright

Dalton Covered Bridge was the center of attraction for the 50`h Anniversary Photo day/Luncheon on Sept. 6`h. Don & I got there early to set up our sales table and were joined right away by Dick & June Roy. We had something for everyone including Covered Bridge books, t-shirts, maps, and new items commemorating our 50th anniversary: tote bags, pens and ornaments (see page 9). We had "drive by" visitors that morning from New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. They were glad to have directions from Dick Roy on how to get to the next bridge on their travels. Howard Kirchner, whose land abuts the Dalton Bridge, gave us a quick and very interesting "unwritten" history of the bridge and its name. Everyone had fun sharing stories with each other and getting their picture taken. Aurel Stuart had quite a time getting everyone lined up and looking in the same direction at the same time. We thank him for his donation of time and talent for the society. We then headed to the Covered Bridge Restaurant across from the Contoocook Railroad Bridge for lunch. I think everyone went home full and with a raffle item. Thanks for a great day everyone!

This will be your last Topics/Newsletter. When you read this notice and see (03) on the mailing label, it means that your dues are due. If (03) does not show up then you are paid through June 2004. Please look at the following information and write me with your renewal. We ask that you be prompt, if possible, in order that Topics and the Newsletter be delivered by Bulk Mail process. Thank you very much for your cooperation.                      Pauline Prideaux

Please print your name and address as you wish it to appear on our records and on your mailing label.

Name_______________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________

City________________________State_____________Zip Code________

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Annual membership (family or individual) all living at the same address Canadian Postage Supplement European Postage Supplement Student Membership Single Life Membership Mr. & Mrs. Life Membership Corporate Membership

$15.00 $4.00 $10.00 $5.00 $250.00 $300.00 $500.00

OPTIONAL DONATIONS FOR BRIDGE PRESERVATION (Harold F. Eastman Memorial Fund)

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Portal Contribution Kingpost Contribution Queenpost Contribution Howe Truss Contribution

$2.00 $5.00 $10.00 $25.00

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Burr Truss Contribution Town Lattice Contribution Haupt Truss Contribution Whipple Truss Contribution

$50.00 $100.00 $150.00 $250.00

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS TO N.S.P.C.B. INC. and mail to:

N.S.P.C.B. INC.
Pauline Prideaux
143 Freeman St. Ext.
Haverhill, MA 01830

Every year over $1,000 is remitted towards the Harold F. Eastman Fund from Optional Donations. Please help keep the fund afloat for Bridge Preservation.

We are very happy to have to offer this year a couple of items in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary.

Tote Bag - Has the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges emblem in dark blue on front pocket measuring 12 1 /2" by 15 1 /2" with a top snap and 20" handle straps. Available for $15 including shipping

Ornament -Also has the Society emblem. It's a 3" round glass maroon ornament with the emblem in gold. Available for $7 including shipping

Pens -They have "I love Covered Bridges - N.S.P.C.B." written on them. Available for $1.25 including shipping.

SPECIAL OFFER!!
You may want to have them all. One of each tote, ornament and pen will be available for $20 including shipping. They are great gifts for family, friends and other bridgers. We have a limited supply, so please order yours today.

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS TO N.S.P.C.B. INC and mail to;

N.S.P.C.B. INC.
Pauline Prideaux
143 Freeman St. Ext.
Haverhill, MA 01830

Montgomery holds bragging rights as the Vermont town with the most covered bridges, boasting six inside the town limits and one on our border, the most of any town in the State, country, and, as some claim, the world. As recently as the 1940s, there were thirteen in use here; most were built by Savannah and Sheldon Jewett, from the 1860s to the 1890s.

But with bragging rights also come obligations and costs, and since two of the town's bridges no longer serve vehicular traffic (the Hectorville or Gibou Bridge, and the Creamery or West Hill Bridge), the costs associated with their upkeep and renovation fall to the town's approximately 900 taxpayers. These costs compete with all other municipal needs: schools, water, roads etc., so it's not surprising the condition of these two bridges has deteriorated over time.

A couple of years ago the Montgomery Historical Society took the initiative to hire an engineer to study these two bridges and develop recommendations on what the town should do. Of the two, the engineer said the Hectorville Bridge was in the worst shape and would likely fall into the South Branch of the Trout River if it wasn't taken down before last winter. The Historical Society made a recommendation to the Selectboard and with generous support raised the funds necessary to disassemble the bridge and put it into storage until its fate could be determined.

The Hectorville Bridge is now resting in the yard of St. Onge Construction and seems to be the object of curiosity and amusement as many still stop and take its picture. In the meantime a group of townspeople has been charged by the Selectboard to recommend where the bridge should be placed and provide a cost estimate for the project.

This group has been meeting since May and is building on work by a similar ad hoc group formed by the Historical Society that worked through the winter. Options under consideration are to repair the bridge and return it to the Hectorville site on the Gibou Road, or to repair the bridge and relocate it to an area of town that would integrate it into a recreation path. (Of note this bridge was originally located in Montgomery Village and was moved to the Hectorville site in the early 1900s). Of these options, the latter has garnered the most enthusiasm on the committee because it could put the bridge in plain view on a main thoroughfare and make it eligible for several State and Federal programs related to recreational use, easing the financial burden on the taxpayers.

In the future we hope to provide progress reports via the town web site at htip://www.vermont-towns.oriz/montizomery/. Advice and any other comments may be made by e-mailing the webmaster at this page or by writing the Hectorville Bridge Committee, or Selectboard, c/o the Town Clerk. Tax deductible contributions will be gratefully accepted also and can be sent to: Hectorville Bridge Fund, Town Clerk/Treasurer, P.O.Box 356, Montgomery, Vermont 05471.

The Pisgah Covered Bridge was washed away in a flash flood on Saturday night, August 9th. The area received between five and seven inches of rain. The bridge had survived hurricanes in the past but this storm was just too much to handle. The 51-foot bridge was built by J.J. Welch in 1910 and was located on the Little River about 10 miles southwest of Asheboro. It was owned by the state Department of Transportation. Before the weekend, it was only one of two remaining covered bridges in North Carolina; the other is in Claremont in Catawba County.

Spanning New York State
Covered Bridge News

By Bob and Trish Kane

Chenango County

Oxford Riverwalk Project -- Many of you have asked how the Riverwalk Project is coming along. I am happy to report that the project is moving along nicely but will, of course, be a work in progress and take some time to complete. To date, $25,000 has been raised to help with the excavating around the river bed and some of this has already been completed. Walks have been groomed and the area surrounding it has been seeded. Estimated cost for the construction of the Burr Truss Bridge is $1,300,000. Funding for this kind of a project is difficult at best. The committee is working to complete smaller components of the overall plan in order to better show intent. Hopefully, they can aggressively approach funding once the Route 12 corridor receives some additional funding and the state and federal programs are once again funded. Grants are being written and submitted to help with the funding of the Covered Bridge and the surrounding area which includes the Oxford Library, former home of Theodore Burr. We'll keep you posted as this project continues.

Herkimer County

Salisbury Center Covered Bridge - NY 32-22-01 On September 25th, there was a special meeting of the Salisbury Town Board for the purpose of opening bids for the Salisbury Center Covered Bridge rehabilitation. They still anticipate that the work will begin this fall.

Rensselaer/Washington Counties

Buskirk, Rexleigh and Eagleville Covered Bridges -- NY 32-42-02/58-04; NY 32-58- 03 and NY 32-58-01 - According to Willie Grimmke, Superintendent of Public Works for Washington County bid openings for the Covered Bridge rehabilitation project is scheduled for October 1, 2003. Approximately 15 contractors have picked up plans and are preparing bids in anticipation of the October 1st bid opening.

Tompkins County

Newfield Covered Bridge -- NY 32-55-01 By all accounts the Newfield Covered Bridge celebration was a huge success. There was plenty to see including memorabilia displays on the history of the covered bridge. One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of a sign created by Eagle Scout, Joshua Carrasco which featured photographs along with a historical account of the bridge. Ice cream and a special commemorative cake were served to guests. Another highlight of the day was the official presentation of the State and National Register of Historic Places plaque to Town Supervisor, Charles Breggren. Unfortunately, Bob and I were not able to attend this event and make the presentation ourselves due to a prior commitment. Special thanks to Richard Wilson for making the presentation in our absence.

Other news:

Virginia Covered Bridge Society -- Leola Pierce, Author of Covered Bridges of Virginia reports that Senator Frederick Quayle was the guest speaker at their August 20th meeting. Senator Quayle was responsible for starting Covered Bridge Weekend in Virginia in 1998 and for getting the Covered Bridge License Plate bill passed this year. Quayle attended the meeting to discuss how selling the plates will help in the restoration efforts. For every $25 spent on these plates, $15 will be allotted towards the restoration of their covered bridges. For anyone wishing to learn more about this society, contact Leola at 757-484-4404 or email her at VaBridgeLady@aol.com.

Smith Covered Bridge - DE-02-02. Photo by Sandy Adrion of Pine Hill, New Jersey.

Delaware Covered Bridges -- Smith Covered Bridge -- DE-02-02 Thanks to Sandy Adrion of Pine Hill New Jersey for sharing the latest on the Smith Covered Bridge in Ashland County, Delaware. This bridge was constructed in August 2002 and on September 12, 2003 vandals left their mark by spray painting graffiti on the portals of this bridge. Sandy was there in April of 2003 and the graffiti was not there at that time. What a shame to deface such a beautiful bridge.

We lost three bridges recently. The Wooddale Covered Bridge -- DE-02-04 was swept away on Monday, September 15, 2003 due to flash flooding, as was the Pisgah Covered Bridge -- NC-76-01 on August 9th. The Delta Covered Bridge -- IA-54-01 was lost to arson on September 3rd, 2003 and we almost lost the Hogback Covered Bridge -- IA-61-04 just three days later on September 6th. The Hogback was not severely damaged thanks to a passer-by who saw smoke and threw water on the flames.

National Covered Bridge Conference -- For anyone who is interested, some of the programs from the conference have been posted on the following website: www.uvm.edu/coveredbridges/papers.html If you have a moment to visit this site, I think you will find the material very interesting.

After many years of hard work by the Town of Brighton and support from the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the Brighton Pedestrian Bridge is nearing completion. The bridge consists of three sets of elevated wooden stairs on timber piers, a 112-foot long Howe truss main span and covered stairs on grade. The total length of the covered portion of the bridge and approaches is 327 feet. Design of the bridge and construction are being completed by Hoyle, Tanner & Associates. The grand opening is scheduled for the end of September. The date and time will be forwarded once it has been finalized.

For more information, please contact sjames@hta-nh.com

The following are items still available through the Society: All of the items below are available from June Roy, 73 Ash Street, Manchester, NH 03104-4906 or E-mail dickroycb1@Juno.com

The Book, Life in the Slow Lane is still available for $16.95 + $3.95 Shipping and Handling.
Society Arm Patch with N.S.P.C.B. logo 3" arm patch available for $1.75 + 55 cents P&H.

Books Available by Andrew Howard:

CB's of Madison County IA, A Guide . . . . . .$6.50
CBs of Connecticut, A Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.50
CB's of Virginia, A Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95
CB's of Bennington County VT, A Guide . . . $6.50
CB's of Massachusetts, A Guide . . . . . . . . . .$7.00
There is a $2.00 postage and handling charge for each book.

There is also an excellent book out on Vermont Covered Bridges called, "Spanning Time -- Vermont's Covered Bridges." You can get a copy by contacting Joseph Nelson, 2 Sugar Hill Road, Underhill VT 05489 or Visit >www.vermontbridges.com> Joseph Nelson is the President of the Vermont Society.

Both are now available on computer diskette in either Mac or PC format. Please specify your choice. The TOPICS index includes: Table of Contents for each issue, an index to subjects and authors, as well as more. The World Guide is kept up to date and in the regular format. The file on this diskett is compressed using the WinZip utility (www.winzip.com). Order your choice at $5.00 each from Joseph Cohen, 130 Westfield Drive, Holliston, MA 01746 from mid-April until mid-September. The rest of the year he is at 210 Wellington F, West Palm Beach, FL 33417.

File Cleaning

The Raleigh News and Observer , August 16, 2003, N.C. Zoo to Help in Rebuilding Covered Bridge. The NC Zoo will lead an effort to rebuild the Pisgah Covered Bridge, which was demolished by floodwaters. It was estimated that half of the bridge had been salvaged and is being stored in a secure location. Zoo officials are trying to estimate how much money they will need to raise to rebuild the bridge

N. Y. Gazette, June 24, 2003, Edinburg Gets $28K for Covered Bridge. The town of Edinburg has received a $28K federal grant to pay for landscaping, benches and interpretive designs to enhance the tourism potential of the only covered bridge in the Adirondacks still standing where it was built 124 years ago.

Times Union, July 2, 2003, Plans for Bridging the Gap Find an Opponent. The 153 year old Buskirks Covered Bridge was closed last year after cracks were found. A proposal to build a temporary one lane bridge parallel to the old one seem to have some concerned that it will slow the efforts to fix the last covered bridge in the county.

The Eagle Tribune, June 23, 2003, New Hope for State's Few Remaining Covered Bridges. Only a handful of covered bridges remain in Massachusetts and they are among the most threatened of the state's historic structures. Senator Stephen Brewer is seeking $700K from the federal Historic Covered Bridge Program to repair the 137 foot Gilbertville Bridge built in 1886 and refurbished in 1986. It has been closed to vehicular traffic since last August.

Boston Sunday Globe, July 13, 2003, Four Vermont Covered Bridges to Receive $1.9M for Repairs. The grants were given through the National Covered Bridge Preservation Program. The four bridges are The Thetford Center Covered Bridge, Weathersfield Upper Falls Covered Bridge, Salisbury-Cornwall Cedar Swamp Covered Bridge and the Tunbridge Cilley Covered Bridge.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , September 8, 2003, Another Covered Bridge Burns, but is Saved. The 97 foot Hogback Bridge, built in 1884, was set on fire but passers by doused the flames before the fire caused much damage.

CONTRIBUTORS: John and Linda Laetz, James Hull, Tom Walczak, Dick Wilson, Phyllis Jackson, Carol Riley, Ken Mauer.

This is the Annual Meeting and is being held on October 19th at the French King Restaurant on Route 2 in Millers Falls, MA. See dinner reservations and application below.

The French King Restaurant is located at the east end of the French King Bridge. The well known landmark carries Massachusetts Route 2 over the Connecticut River near Millers Falls, at a very picturesque spot. The dinner will be served at 12:00 noon and meeting will follow at 1:00 P.M.

Joseph Conwill, editor of Covered Bridge Topics, will be the speaker this year.

Cut off below or reproduce and send along with your check or money order.
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Dinner Reservation coupon for October 19, 2003 annual meeting. To be returned with payment as designated below. Please return no later than October 10. 2003.

_____ Whole Boneless Breast of Chicken
              with stuffmg and gravy . . . . . . . . .$17.95
_____ Yankee Pot Roast . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17.95
_____ Baked Haddock au Gratin . . . . . . $17.95
_____ Fisherman Casserole . . . . . . . . . . $18.95

Name _______________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Telephone _______________________________________________________

Send to:
Mrs. June Roy
73 Ash Street
Manchester, NH 03104
Telephone: 603-623-8406

Make checks payable to N.S.P.C.B. Inc.