Vermont's Covered Bridges, Vermont, Tours, History, Trusses

nspcb.summer03

July - August - September - Summer 2003

Newsletter
National Society for the preservation of Covered Bridges
Incorporated

David W. Wright, President P.O. Box 171 Westminster, VT 05158 (802) 722-4040	Mrs. Christine Ellsworth Corresponding Secretary 44 Cleveland Ave. Worcester, MA 01603 (508) 756-4516	Carmela Sciandra, Newsletter Ed. P.O. Box 398026 Cambridge, MA 02139 E-mail: croses@hotmail.com
Send dues to: Pauline Prideaux Membership Chairperson 143 Freeman St. Extension Haverhill, MA 01830-4659 E-mail: sanibel93@aol.com	Richard Roy, Historian 73 Ash Street Manchester, NH 03104-4906 (603)623-8406 Email:dickroycb1@juno.com	KC Klingensmith, Newsletter Ed. P.O. Box 425193 Cambridge, MA 02142 E-mail: kc@ilp.mit.edu

David Topham, Treasurer, Nov thru April only: 11707 Oakmont Ct., Fort Myers, FL 33908-2825 (941) 433-1551;
May thru Oct: 45 Village Way No. 50, Rockport, ME 04856-3805, 207-596-7472

MEETING DATES for 2003

Sunday, July 27 at 1 p.m. Meeting will be held at the Contoocook Railroad Bridge, Hopkinton, NH. We will have lunch before the meeting at the pizza place next to the bridge.

Sunday, August 24, 12 p.m. Annual picnic in Westminster, VT at the site of the Archives (rear of Westminster Institute and Butterfield Library on Route 5.) Picnic begins at noon, meeting to follow. Please bring your own chairs.

Saturday, September 6, 10:30am 50th Anniversary Photo at Dalton Bridge in Warner, NH. See 50th Anniversary News inside for more information.

Sunday, September 28, 1pm Covered Bridge Museum in Bennington, VT Gypsy Lane off Route 9.

Sunday, October 19 NSPCB Annual Meeting at the French King Restaurant in Millers Falls, MA.

NEWSLETTER DATES
The next newsletter is scheduled for October 2003. Therefore, anyone wishing to submit any photos, articles, etc. should submit them to Carmela or KC by September 15, 2003. Any newspaper or magazine articles must include source information and details (such as name of publication, date, etc.). Electronic submissions are preferred. THANK YOU!

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A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

Dear Fellow Members, Greetings:

Other than to mention, very much in passing, that so far this year, our Spring here in Vermont has been both wet and cool, I plan to get down to business straight away; that is to say, to take up the question of the bridges immediately: there is simply too much to be discussed to justify any digression, however entertaining.
       First of all, the regular meeting of the National Society was held last Sunday, June 22nd at, and within the confines of, the Bog or Cilleyville Covered Bridge in Andover, New Hampshire.
       This span, as many of you may already know, has had a somewhat troubled existence since it was bypassed in 1959.
       The reason why it is not too difficult to understand.
       In sparsely populated rural communities with correspondingly reduced tax bases, it is ofttimes difficult to raise the funds necessary for proper maintenance of roads and bridges which are still in current use. When it comes to venerable antiques, especially those no longer in service, obtaining monies for repairs, regardless of how urgent, and regardless of how beloved the structure, is not always an easy proposition.
       In Andover, as in many another New Hampshire Community, citizens have to be prudent when expending public monies. There simply are not enough of these to go around, or to go around as abundantly as might otherwise be desired. So it was, over the years, and from the local fiscal point of view not unreasonably, that the Bog or Cilleyville Covered Bridge progressively deteriorated.
       Does this mean that the good folks of Andover no longer valued their ancient span?
       Not at all!!
       For instance, in about 1982, when the roof of the Bog or Cilleyville Covered Bridge suddenly collapsed as the result of an unusual amount of snow piled up upon it, the roof in question was fairly promptly reconstructed using many locally donated materials and much local volunteer labor.
       Then too, during the past several years, there has been a very active Bridge Committee over in Andover whose attempts to raise enough money to restore the Bog or Cilleyville Covered Bridge have ultimately born fruit. Many local contributions helped swell the coffers of this committee. Some of these contributions were small; some were larger, but all in any case are proof, as if any proof were necessary, that the good people of Andover value the Bog or Cilleyville Covered Bridge, and have been -and are!-bound and determined to preserve it as an important part of their local patrimony.
       And preserve this span they have indeed!
       Though I am not fully cognizant as to how the selection of Tim Andrews of Barns and Bridges of New England to be Bridgewright for this project was affected, it was a superb choice! Milton Graton himself, under whom Tim Andrews served an apprenticeship by the way, would I am sure have been delighted by the excellence of this restoration. Every bit of the old bridge still capable of further service has been retained, and is now doing the work for which it was initially fabricated. Any original members of the superstructure too deteriorated to be trusted in the restored span, and alas, there were quite a few of those, have been replaced in kind, the replication of these members having been such that the newly manufactured Covered-Bridge parts perfectly mimic the ones for which they have been substituted. As an example, joints between original members which were framed to extremely close tolerances initially, have, if one or more of these original members had to be replaced, been framed to extremely close tolerances in the newly reworked structure. Finally there is no hidden steel, no split-ring connectors, no glue-laminated timbers or floor panels; just fine wood in more or less the same state as the Good Lord made it, fine wood which has been worked upon in much the same way as our ancestors would have worked upon it.
       (I am reminded here of what still remains the best Covered-Bridge-preservation advice I have ever received. Not surprisingly, the source of it was Milton Graton: "When called upon to restore a Covered Bridge, do what the old guy did, or that failing, do what he would have done had he had your problem".)
       The bottom line: the recently completed restoration of the Bog or Cilleyville Covered Bridge is exemplary! Members of the Society who plan to be in New Hampshire this Summer ought to try to visit Andover in order to have a look at this span. It is very much worth a special visit.
       And now, to the second subject of this President's Message; namely, the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge.
       Regular readers of the National Society's quarterly publications were treated last issue to a rather unusual letter to the editor. It was from one of our members, a structural engineer. His note was prompted by two facts, or more accurately, by a fact and an event; to wit:

The firm for which this gentleman works has a contract to analyze and prepare plans for the "rehabilitation" of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, and
I had said in respect to what Massachucetts was doing to its remaining Covered Bridges, "Another span which has been in danger of being "Reformed" out of existence during the course of "restoration" is the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge in Northern New Hampshire. The Society has in fact been so concerned about what has been proposed ...(for this structure) that it has voted monies .. . (to commission) an engineering study which will give us real data . . . (regarding) the trusses and arches of this ...(bridge). ....Quite literally, a great National Treasure is at risk ....We must therefore not let this span go a-glimmering, as indeed have so many of its ...(brethren)".

Given the tenor of my remarks in the Winter issue of the President's Message, and the economic interest involved in any Covered-Bridge rehabilitation contract, one can readily understand a certain uneasiness on the part of our friend, the letter writing engineer; however, the concerns raised by me at that time were perfectly justified, given several of the provisions of the report produced by him and his firm, and I should not have lived up to my responsibilities as President of the National Society had I not raised them then.
       Unfortunately, and contrary to some of the assertions of the letter to the editor I have been discussing, many of these concerns are as relevant today as they were back in December of 2002.
       What agitated me the most when I first read our friend's "Engineering study for the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge" was the "Preservation Philosophy" which emerged bit by bit from between the lines of that document.
      There was first of all the recommended "base" or "minimum rehabilitation" scheme. This suggested procedure including "replacing broken, rotting, or damaged timber members, roof replacement, floor system replacement, and improvement to the existing fire protection system". Now of course no one in his right mind would object to "improvements to the existing fire protection system", or even "roof replacement", if the latter were what it takes to equip the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge with a tight roof, one which will last for many years, but outright replacement of all broken, rotting or damaged timber members"?!
       These members, whatever their condition, constitute an important part of the historic fabric of this bridge.
       Their outright removal would lesson the historic value of the very structure one has been charged to "preserve for the future generations".
       What about repair or sistering (doubling up) of the afflicted components, a perfectly acceptable and even quite sensitive way of dealing with decay and/or other kinds of damage to important structural members?
       Alas, the above referenced report remains silent on this technique. Apparently, for the authors of the "Engineering study . . . (of) the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge", the presence of many newly manufactured Covered Bridge components within the confines of an ancient wooden span, the oldest remaining Town lattice bridge in the world in fact, would not be a matter of much import.
       Then of course there were the "two rehabilitation options", one or the other of which was to be affected over and above the "minimum" or "base rehabilitation" scheme.
       The first one of these options would have returned the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge "to its original appearance ...(of) 1827".
       Such a transformation would indeed have proved startling, perhaps more so than even our engineering friend imagined, for in 1827,the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge had yet to be erected, construction of this span having begun most probably in 1829.
       Be the above as it may, the same option that would have returned the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge "to its original appearance" would also have removed the existing arches from the span, as well as the present sidewalk.
       Removal of the existing arches from the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge is a particularly irritating suggestion. Not only do arches do a world of good when properly yoked to a Town lattice truss, but arches have a long history at Bath-Haverhill, a much longer one than apparently our letter writing engineering seems to have realized.
       In a note to C. J. O'Neil, chairman of the Woodsville Fire District, a note dated November 16th 1920, John W. Storrs writes as follows: `:We understand the structure (i.e., the Bath-Haverhill span - D.W.W.) to be one of the oldest bridges in the State of New Hampshire. There is more or less decay visible in the chords, ARCHES, and floor, and probably there is considerable decay that is not in evidence".
       Arches in November of 1920!! But were not the presently existing arches built up in 1921-1922?
       The answer to the latter question is a resounding yes; moreover, the sum disbursed for their construction is even known; it was some $4,128.25 in materials, and some $3,804.52 in labour, for a grand total of $7,932.77, which expenditure was split equally between the two towns.
       The arches that John W. Storrs was commenting upon were therefore obviously of an earlier date. Just how early is a matter of conjecture, albeit one which I must say is of great interest. It is just conceivable, though I admit not too terribly likely, that they were original equipment. They were already of a certain age when Storrs saw them, because in point of fact it usually takes a few decades for arches to get to the advanced state of decrepitude where decay within them becomes more or less visible. So how old were they? 1840's; 1850's; 1860's; perhaps 1870's -- we shall in all probability never know. Even if these arches had. been built up as late as the 1880's, from the perspective of the year of Our Lord 2003, that would still make some 120 years of arch history which through lack of vigilance, or lack of thought, our structural engineer, the epistler, was willing to sacrifice.
       (Please do not forget in this context that the engineering report we have been discussing contained a copy of John W. Storrs's November 16th 1920 letter.)
       The second option for rehabilitation of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge would have left the sidewalk and arches of the span in place, and would have " ....essentially ...(retained) the bridge's current appearance".
       Appearance?! What about reality, the reality of the present span?! ! !
       Whilst it is certainly true that the appearance of our surviving Covered Bridges can be extremely agreeable, particularly in a proper setting, it must not be forgotten that a Covered Bridge is just that as well; namely, a bridge, and a bridge is about as close as it is possible to get to something which is pure structure.
       It follows, therefore, that to the degree one alters, or proposes to alter, a Covered Bridge, one begins to denature, or propose to denature, that which one is presumed to be attempting to preserve, " ....preserve ....for future generations" was the noble phrase of the engineering report we have been commenting upon.
       I should also point out here that not everything claimed in the engineering report for option two would have turned out exactly as stated. For example, "This option would leave ....the sidewalk in place, ...."Well, no! Option two would have left behind A sidewalk, but not THE sidewalk, the currently existing one, rather a NEW sidewalk; one which was framed and supported differently, and made up of new materials. This is not quite the same thing, as I am sure most of you would agree, not as advertised in other words.
       As I said towards the beginning of the present commentary, what agitated me the most about the engineering report on~Bath-Haverhill penned by our engineering friend was the preservation philosophy which emerged bit by bit from between the lines of this document.
       How can I best characterize what that philosophy seemed to be to me?
       At a bare minimum, I should have to say the following three things: 1) It would appear to be a philosophy which is often disdainful of historic fabric, and of historic structural systems; 2) in a similar vain, the philosophy in question would seem frequently to offer no objection to rehabilitative schemes which are invasive; that is to say, which would require the replacement of many historic members of a similar kind, or even whole historic systems, with newly manufactured members, newly manufactured members which would be different in some significant way from the ancient ones for which they had been substituted; and finally 3) this philosophy would appear to tolerate rehabilitative procedures which are irreversible in nature; for example, a diagonal stick, once removed and disposed of, can never again grace the web of the Town Lattice Truss from which it was originally extracted.
       A preservation philosophy such as the one sketched out above, if applied extensively, and vigorously, could prove disastrous to any historic structure, but most especially to a Great National Treasure such as the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge.
      Because of the importance to all of us of the Bath-Haverhill span, and in light of what seemed to me to have been a rather inauspicious beginning for the process which by rights ought to lead to a decent restoration of this structure, I concluded that the National Society needed to obtain a second opinion.
       Fortunately, Society members agreed.
      We have consequently engaged a world-class timber engineer, one who, amongst other things, specializes in the rigorous structural analysis of Covered Wooden Bridges, to examine the BathHaverhill Covered Bridge, to analyze it, and to make recommendations for its stabilization and preservation. Though to date his findings are of a preliminary nature, it is already clear that when fully fleshed out, they will be at some variance to the ones reported by our letter writing engineer in his study of the same span.
       Members, and other interesting parties, should stay tuned, as it were, so as to be kept apprised of future developments.
       It remains to me now to deal directly with the letter to the editor from our engineering friend.
       By way of a brief preface, let me say that I wish I could take a kinder, gentler approach respecting this note, but alas, I cannot. I have a certain obligation, at least in these pages, to try to tell the truth, or anyhow that which to me seems to be the truth. I shall consequently make the following series of comments, letting the chips fall where they may:

Though the letter in question certainly contains many statements which are accurate, it also contains others which are not, or which in their incomplete form are misleading.
For example, when reading the phrase, "There have been dramatic and recent developments regarding this bridge", one could conclude that our letterwriter was himself responsible for these developments. By and large, he was not. It was first of all Joseph Conwill in his excellent study of the BathHaverhill Covered Bridge for the National Park Service who noted that the floor joists and lower latteral bracing system of this span were extremely old, and if not dating from 1829, at least were very early replacements of the original material. These floor joists and the lower lateral bracing system had been misidentified as having been set in place in 1921, quite an error in fact. There then followed the excellent report of James L. Garvin, published in its entirety in the winter issue of the Newsletter, a report which--identified many other original features of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, and so on and so forth.
According to our friend's letter, " ....our study ...(recommends) that all existing members, where possible, ...be retained, and only rotted, damaged, or broken members be repaired or replaced". Sounds good on the face of it, but the matter is in fact a fairly complicated one - how much deterioration makes a timber unreliable, for instance? If the questionable timbers were- to be examined and evaluated by an overly cautious individual, much replacement of important historic fabric could result therefrom.
Though mention is made of the fact that the stringers and floorplanks installed by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation in 1974 are to be removed - and by the way, a Covered Bridge has a FLOOR within it, not a deck! ! - our letter writing friend fails assiduously to mention that he plans to replace these members with a system of Glue-Laminated Panels. And whilst on the subject, this system of Glue-Laminated Panels was not originally our letterwriting engineer's own idea, but rather was suggested to him by Robert Landry, a very competent, and conscientious New Hampshire Department-of-Transportation engineer.
In the letter to the editor I have been discussing, can be found the assertion, made by our engineering friend, that he " ....is working closely with Jim Garvin, Architectural Historian for the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources". The facts unfortunately are otherwise. Though without a doubt the legally required consultations with Dr. Garvin have occurred, working closely with the Division of Historical Resources is not exactly how I should describe what has been taking place. Working closely with someone means that ideas are shared, and regularly passed back and forth between the parties involved. It means too that all cards are on the table, and that there is no attempt ever to reshuffle those cards before the other parties have had a chance to comment upon the original arrangement. And of course any comments made are to be respected and taken seriously! In truth, if our engineering friend had been regularly consulting with the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, many of the problems concerning the project to restore the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge would never have come up, could have been completely avoided.
Our engineering friend in his letter states that "The current schedule for this project is to complete design by this fall and to begin construction in November 2003, with an anticipated completion date, rededication. and opening of the bridge in August 2004". What is not mentioned here, ,except obliquely, is the fact that at present, there is a shortfall in funding of about $162,000 for this project. It is stated, accurately, that the Towns of Bath and Haverhill must raise 20% of the cost of whatever is done to the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, but what is not mentioned is that neither Town appropriated anything for the proposed restoration scheme at their respective Town Meetings last March. This means that unless some private or public entity steps forward with the required cash in hand in the meantime, the earliest date on which any work could be begun at Bath-Haverhill would be after Town Meeting Day 2004. Our engineering friend undoubtedly spoke in good faith, but unfortunately his information was not quite current! ! !

Happy Bridging!!!!

Sincerely, your President

David W. Wright

50th Anniversary News

We are going into our 50th year and would like to get a photo taken at the Dalton Bridge in Warner, NH. So come out and join us for a picture and some bridge conversation. There are a lot of members in the local New England area that we haven't met yet and we thought this would be a great opportunity to get acquainted and have some fun. We will meet at the Dalton Bridge in Warner, NH at 10:30am on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2003. We will then go to the Covered Bridge Restaurant for a luncheon. The restaurant is located across the street from the Contoocook Railroad Bridge in Hopkinton. So come out and join us and meet some fellow bridgers!
The Officers of N.S.P.C..B. Inc.

Directions from eastern MA: Rt. 93 North to Rt. 89 North. Take exit 8, go left at the end of the ramp (Rt. 103), go 1.l0th of a mile, take a left, that will be Joppa West Street (there is a red house on the corner). The bridge will be right there.

For Restaurant: Take a right off Joppa West Street onto Rt. 103 again and go straight into Hopkinton 5.9 miles. The restaurant will be the 1st building just over the bridge to the right.

Membership News

The weather is great and the membership is out there spreading the news about Covered Bridge Preservation and Awareness! In the last 6 months, we have had 19 new members, 39 reinstated members and 10 Life Members. We want to welcome the new members and welcome back the re-instated members. The 10 new Life Members have taken advantage of pre-payment. Becoming a Life Member takes the worry out of remembering to send in the yearly dues.

New Life Members:

Julia Pennell, PA
Phyllis Barry, NY
Phil Pierce, NY
Michael Morrison, PA

Daniel & Joyce Castellini, OH
Reta Wagner, OH
Larry & Freida Jessup, NC
Charles & Florence Phelps, MA

We had a great response from the spring mailing. I know life gets busy, but take a moment and send in your dues if you haven't already to keep our preservation efforts going. Thank you for all you do and also for your generous donations.

Happy Bridging,
Pauline Prideaux, Membership Coordinator

Spanning New York State
Covered Bridge News

By Bob and Trish Kane

Delaware County

Fitchs Covered Bridge -- NY 32-13-02 The Fitchs Covered Bridge was awarded an Award of Merit from the American Plywood Association (APA) under the 2002 National Timber Bridge Award Program. This competition is held annually to recognize those structures that represent the premier timber bridge projects in the nation. Many outstanding bridges were considered for this award and 15 winners were chosen. The APA awards recognized two other covered bridges, but Fitchs was the only rehabilitation of an existing covered bridge. The others were new bridges.
Bridges which received awards in this competition were specifically designed to enhance and protect the delicate environments they span. Congratulations to Delaware County, and especially to Wayne Reynolds, Commissioner of Public Works and Phil Pierce, Deputy Commissioner of Engineering for their determination and dedication to preserving Delaware County's Covered Bridges.

Halcottsville Covered Bridge - NY- 32-13-?? - What ever happened to the new covered bridge that was supposed to be built in Halcottsville? It is still in the works but being bogged down by legal issues which hopefully, should be resolved soon. More to follow on this bridge as soon as these issues are resolved.

Rensselaer/Washington Counties

Buskirk Covered Bridge -- NY 32-42-02/58-04 According to Willie Grimmke, Superintendent of Public Works for Washington County, the Historic Preservation Office has signed off on the rehabilitation plans for the Buskirk Covered Bridge. The NY State Department of Transportation is currently reviewing the design work, and negotiations with the utility company are underway regarding the power lines near the bridge. Bids for the rehabilitation work will be open late this summer. Rensselaer and Washington Counties are exploring the feasibility of a temporary bridge while Buskirk is under construction.
The Rexleigh and Eagleville Covered Bridges will be rehabbed on the same schedule as Buskirk.

Herkimer County

Salisbury Center Covered Bridge - NY 32-22-01 According to Peter Usselmann, Chairman of the Planning Board in Salisbury Center, they are waiting for approval of the plans by the NY State Department of Transportation. Hopefully, bids for the work will go out in July with the rehabilitation to take place between August and November 2003. By the time of the next newsletter, we should have more news on this project.

Tompkins County

Newfield Covered Bridge -- NY 32-55-01 The Newfield Covered Bridge will be celebrating its 150th Anniversary on July 26th from 2-5 p.m. There will be local entertainment, lots of covered bridge memorabilia, raffles and also an ice cream social. Various organizations are turning out for this exciting event. One of the highlights of the day will be the presentation of the State and National Register of Historic Places plaque. The Newfield Covered Bridge was put on the State Register on December 21, 1999 and on the National Register, February 25, 2000. So, mark your calendars for July 26, 2003 and don't miss this exciting event.

Other News

New York State Driving Tour -- Although there never seems to be enough time in our day, this project continues to go well. Mapping of the preliminary route is almost complete and will soon be sent to those who volunteered to take the tour. The feedback they provide will be invaluable as we continue with this project.

First National Covered Bridge Conference: Best Practices, Care and Repair --I was extremely fortunate to be able to attend the first ever, National Covered Bridge Preservation Conference in Burlington, VT in June. It was an excellent program and although I would love to share everything I learned with you, that just isn't possible.
Each track I attended was great, but in my personal opinion, and because of my strong interest in covered bridge preservation, I felt the most interesting was Fire Protection and Fire Prevention on Covered Bridges presented by Robert H. Durfee, P.E. of Hoyle, Tanner and Associates, Inc. This paper summarizes the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the New Hampshire Covered Bridge Task Force that was formed in 1993 to respond to numerous covered bridge fires. I'm confident covered bridge organizations and enthusiasts will find this material extremely helpful as we continue in our efforts to preserve and protect our covered bridges.

Project: Covered Spans of Yesteryear -- Our lost covered bridge project now has an 'official' name. A special thanks to Bill Cockrell from Salem, Oregon and Bill Caswell from Concord, New Hampshire for stepping up to assist with this project. For those of you who don't know, Bill Cockrell is the Newsletter Editor for The Bridge Tender, Oregon's official Covered Bridge Publication. Bill Caswell supervises the CAD/D (Computer Aided Design/Drafting) Section at the New Hampshire DOT and brings a wealth of computer knowledge and expertise to this project. Thanks to both of you for all you have done to get this project off the ground. If you would be interested in researching information on past covered bridges for Project: Covered Spans of Yesteryear for your state, (or adopt another state) we would certainly welcome your assistance. For more information, feel free to email us at: bobtrish68@clarityconnect.com.

Photos by Ken Olsen, Cilleyville, Andover, NH.


October 2001	April 2003

Minutes for General Meeting of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered
Bridges Inc. June 22, 2003 at the site of the Cilleyville Covered Bridge in Andover, NH

There were 12 people when President Wright opened the meeting at 1:20 P.M.

The minutes of the May meeting were read and accepted. M. James Garvin and S. Joyce Olson. Unanimously accepted.

Richard Wilson (President of the New York State Covered Bridge Society) was asked to speak about present situations concerning CB's. The Bridge of Madison County Iowa, Cedar Bridge has been burnt. The Chamber of Commerce said that the bridge will be rebuilt. Also the Red Bridge in Princeton, IL. had a sprinkler system added to the bridge. It is the type that the fire department can activate with a pump.

Richard Wilson also mentioned that the Gorham (VT) Bridge is being rebuilt, as well as the Sanderson (VT) bridge has been rebuilt and the Buskirk Bridge in NY hopefully will be rebuilt.

A film crew is photographing in the area of the Smith Bridge in the Plymouth (NH) area. "The Brotherhood of Poland New Hampshire" is the most likely name for the show being photographed.

Tim Andrews, repairer of the Cilleyville Bridge (NH) reported. He began the repairs in October of 2002 and finished in May of 2003. Some of the timbers came from as far away as British Columbia and Georgia. There were no state moneys involved and the cost for the repairs were $151,000, which was 46% of the original estimate.

Dick Roy mentioned the fact that a photo of the railroad bridge between Ashland and Bridgewater was supplied to the Ashland Historical Society at the request of its president David Ruell.

Richard Wilson talked about the opening of the Bennington (VT) Covered Bridge Museum. The Governor of Vermont cut the ribbon.

David Fischetti is working up prints and specifications for the rebuilding of the Haverhill-Bath Bridge (NH). This is the oldest Town Lattice in the world. It is the oldest bridge on a public highway as well as being the 2nd oldest in the United States (1829). The oldest being the Hyde Hall Bridge in New York State (1823).

David Wright brought along drawings of the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge crossing the Connecticut River. These prints were made in 1908. They show the possible use of an arch in the bridge, but the arches were never implemented.

MOTION: To allow Tim Andrews of Barns and Bridges to use up to the amount of $20,000 for the repair of the Contoocook Covered Railroad Bridge in Contoocook, NH. Motion: by Dick Roy; Seconded: by Richard Wilson. The motion was passed unanimously with two exemptions: Tim Andrews and James Garvin.

The bridge was partially moved and leaning at quite an angle during the flood and returned to its original position. I will have photos of this at the July meeting at the site of the bridge.

LCHIP: Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. This is the program in which aide is contributed for repairs of structures such as this bridge.

The meeting adjourned at 2:28 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,
Richard E. Roy

Covered Bridge Related books for sale by the National Society

Covered Bridge Focus on Kentucky
Connecticut's Old Timbered Crossings
Connecticut's Old Timbered Crossings
Covered Bridges of Ohio An Atlas & History
The Building of Zehnder's Holz-Brucke
The Columbian (The clb's of Columbia Cty Pa.)
Sentinels of Time (Vermont C/b's)
Covered Bridges on the Byways of Indiana
Covered Bridges on the Byways of Ohio

Covered Bridges in America
Covered Bridges
A Century of Oregon Covered Bridges 1851-1952
New Jersey History Summer 1967
Freak Winds (New Hampshire)
New Hampshire "Flood Waters"
Maine Covered Bridge Finder
Spanning Time New Hampshire Covered Bridges
B49+B49Kissing Bridges
The Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge
The Covered Bridge
American Heritage Magazine -1 Chapter, 11 pages.
American Covered Bridges
Pennsylvania Covered Bridges
The Covered Bridge (story Style)
Covered Bridges of New Hampshire
Martin's Mill Covered Bridge
Alabama's Covered Bridges
Covered Bridges Can Talk
Covered Bridges of West Virginia
Covered Bridge Ramblings in New England
New Hampshire C B's Drawings by Stan Snow
American Barns & Covered Bridges
Vermont in Floodtime
Light and Shadows of the 1927 Flood
Kentucky's Covered Bridges

White, Vernon
DeVito, Michael
DeVito, Michael (No Jacket)
Wood, Miriam
Graton, Milton
Barton, Edwin M.
Ziegler, Phil
Ketchem, Brian
Ketchem, Brian
Ketchem, Brian - Two above for
Wells, Rosalie
Lanks, Herbert
Nelson, Lee H.
Brydon, Norman F. (23 pages)
Cummings, Lew A.
Cummings, Lew A.
Robertson, E. D. & D. K.
Dupont, Irene E.
Peterson, Hegen
Congdon, Herbert Wheaton
Royce, Edmund Homer - photos by
Royce Edmund, First Edition
Royce Edmund, Reprint
Royce Edmund, Reprint
Royce Edmund, Reprint
Allen, Richard S.
Caravan, Jill
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.
Killian, Carl E.Sr.
Murray, Alice L.
Ziegler, Fred G.
Prince, A. G.
Harlow, Lewis A.
Auvil, Myrtle
Walker, C. Ernest
Kenyon, Thedia C.
Sloan, Eric
Johnson Co., Roy L. (2nd Edition)
Walker, Charles T.
Brandenburg, Phyllis & David

1985 HB $20.00
1964 HB $39.00
1964 H B $37.00
1993 PB $45.00
1980 PB $9.00
1962 PB $10.00
1983 PB $15.00
1949 HB $60.00
1969 HB $60.00
$100.00
1931 HB $100.00
1968 PB $8.00
1960 PB $30.00
1967 PB $10.00
1938 PB $6.00
1936 PB $6.00
1883 PB $5.00
1987 HB $15.00
1965 PB $9.00
1946 HB $40.00
1959 HB $35.00
1941 HB $50.00
1959 PB $25.00
1975 PB $25.00
1979 PB $25.00
1959 PB $20.00
1959 HB $25.00
1993 PB $20.00
1966 HB $15.00
1994 PB $7.00
1973 PB $10.00
1972 PB $5.00
1963 HB $15.00
1973 HB $20.00
1959 HB $16.00
----- HB $35.00
1954 HB $25.00
1928 PB $20.00
1927 PB $10.00
1977 HB $20.00

Rare Old Covered Bridges of Windsor County Vt.
50 Old Bridges of Lebanon New Hampshire
Covered Bridges in Indiana
The Covered Bridges of Park County, Indiana
Life in The Slow Lane
Old Covered Bridges
Maine Covered Bridge Finder
Roofs Over River (Oregon Cb's.)
The Covered Bridges of California
Timbers of Time (Ulster Cty. NY)
Covered Bridges of the West
Historic American Covered Bridges
Covered Bridges of the Northeast (Jacket ripped)
Covered Bridges of the Middle Atlantic (with jacket)
Covered Bridges of the South (with Jacket)
Covered Bridges of the Middle West (with jacket)
New Hampshire Covered Bridge Sketchbook
New Hampshire C/B's Sponsor's Edition
Tracking the Crossings of the Yellow Breeches Creek F
Covered Bridges in the Saco River Valley
The Covered Bridges of Madison Cty. (IO)
Through Covered Bridges to Concord (NH)
The Covered Bridges of Lancaster Cty. Pa.1800-19871
Covered Bridges of Penn - A Guide
Kentucky's Covered Bridges
Kentucky's Covered Bridges
Kentucky's Covered Bridges
Seeing Lancaster County Covered Bridges (PA)
Wooden Bridges of Bennington County (VT)
Indiana Covered Bridges Through the Years
Scenic Madison County, Iowa
Journey Through Pennsylvania
Covered Bridges In Ills, Iowa, & Wisconsin
Covered Bridges In Ills, Iowa, & Wisconsin
Covered Bridges In Ills, Iowa, & Wisconsin
Covered Bridges in Iowa (The Palimpseest)
Guide to Covered Bridges of New York State
Old Covered Bridges of Maine
The Old Covered Bridge (Forty Covered Bridges)
Historic Covered Bridges of Pennsylvania

Allen, Richard S.
Lebanon Historical Society
Weber, Wayne M. FAIA
Weber, Wayne M. FAIA
Wiebel, Jerry
Jackman, Adelbert M.
Robertson, E.b & D. K.
Cockrell, Nick & Bill
Money, S. Griswold
Miller Patricia Bartels
Adams, Kramer
McKee, Brian J.
Allen, Richard Sanders
Allen, Richard Sanders
Allen, Richard Sanders
Allen, Richard Sanders
Kenyon, Thedia Cox
Kebyon, Thedia Cox
P Evelyn Thomas
Robertson, E. B. & D. K
Waller, Robert James
Mead Jr., Edgar T.
Kiphom, Thomas G.
Zacher, Susan M.
Woolfolk, Madam
Woolfolk, Madam
Woolfolk, Madam
Caruthers, E. Gipe
Spargo, John
Gould, Chester E.
Madison Cty. Historical Socirety
Nicklin, Philip Intro William,Shank P.E.
Swanson, Leslie C.
Swanson, Leslie C.
Swanson, Leslie C.
Iowa State Hist Soc.
Anderson, Stott
Jakeman, Adelbert M.
Philbrook Studios
Shank, William H. P.E.

1962 PB $10.00
1975 PB $10.00
1977 HB $30.00
1980 PB $6.00
1998 HB $16.95
1935 PB $18.00
1983 PB $5.00
1978 PB $25.00
1938 HB $50.00
1976 PB $5.00
1963 HB $50.00
1997 HB $45.00
1957 HB $55.00
1959 HB $55.00
1970 HB $40.00
1970 HB $50.00
1955 HB $12.00
1957 HB $15.00
1981 PB $3.00
1984 PB $7.00
1992 HB $18.00
1970 HB $20.00
1987 PB $15.00
1982 PB $15.00
1987 PB $5.00
1991 PB $5.00
1995 PB $5.00
1974 PB $12.00
1953 PB $7.00
1977 PB $10.00
1961 PB $6.00
1981 PB $10.00
1960 PB $6.00
1970 PB $6.00
1986 PB $6.00
Nov-70 PB $4.00
1967 PB $4.00
1980 PB $4.00
1942 PB $6.50
1974 PB $8.00

Covered Bridges of Connecticut
Covered Bridge of Massachusetts
Covered Bridges of Bennington County. Vermont
Covered Bridges of Madison County Iowa
Covered Bridges of Virginia
Ulster County's 01d Timbered Crossings
The Engineering Contributions of Wendel Bollman
Georgia's Romantic Bridges
Covered Bridge Adventure
Welcome to Park County (Ind.) A guide to C/B Routes
Covered Bridges Today

Howard, Andrew R.
Howard, Andrew R.
Howard, Andrew R.
Howard, Andrew R.
Howard, Andrew R.
Anderson, Stott
Vogal, Robert M.
Public Information Office
Francis, James
Hardesty, Barbara
Krekeler, Brenda

1996 PB $5.50
1995 PB $6.95
1997 PB $6.50
1998 PB $6.50
1999 PB $6.95
1964 PB $10.00
1964 PB $9.00
1978 PB $4.00
1971 PB $4.00
1979 PB $5.00
1989 HB $35.00

Remember that almost all back Issues of Topics are still availble throu-qh this address

June Roy
73 Ash Street
Manchester, NH 03104-4906
E-mail address Dickroycb1@Juno.com

Get a hold of me if you have any questions concerning these books or booklets

Prices do not include postage --- You will be billed for the postage.
Any of the above mentioned Covered Bridge Books or Booklets may be acquired from
June Roy, 73 Ash Street, Manchester, NH 03104-4906
PB = Paper Back HB = Hard Bound
If you have any questions about the books or booklets contact
E-mail address= Dickroycb1 @Juno.com

All Checks are to be made to the National Society, N.S P C B

Thank You

File Cleaning

Rural Missouri, March 2003, Birthplace of a Hero: Laclede. The Locust Creek Covered Bridge, built in 1868 and recently restored, stands just west of the town of Laclede. Laclede is the birthplace of General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, a leader during World War 1. See http://www.ruralmissouri.org/03MarchLaclede.html for the complete story.

Union Leader, March 28, 2003, Kentucky Official: NH Bridge is in Ad. The Albany covered bridge off the Kancamangus Highway was used by mistake in a travel ad for northern Kentucky in the March/April edition of the Endless Vacation magazine.

Bryan Times, February 20, 2003, Lockport Covered Bridge Earns National Timber Bridge Award. The Lockport covered bridge that spans the Tiffin River in Williams County was chosen from more than 50 entries nationwide for the National Timber Bridge Award. The bridge was noted for its design innovation, visual appeal, cost effectiveness and efficient use of wood products. See http://www.riverbendtf.com/ohiobridge.html for more information.

News-Press, April 2, 2003, Bridge Fate in Jeopardy. The August fire at the Ryot Covered Bridge in Bedford County (PA) was so badly damaged by arson that the state has already started to remove it from the National Register of Historic Places.

The Bridge Tender, Vol. 24, Number 2, Summer 2003, a publication of the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon, Oregon Gives Old Bridges a New Lease on Life. Fisher School Bridge (37-21-11), Benton County's Hayden Bridge (37-02-05), and Wimer Covered Bridge (37-15-05) are in the process of being repaired and upgraded so that vehicular traffic can continue to use these structures. Engineering drawings are included in the newsletter.

Additional Oregon Bridge News from Bill Cockrell: Two re-roofing jobs are expected to be completed soon. The bridges are Nelson Mountain Bridge (37-20-06) and Coyote Creek Bridge, a.k.a. Wolf Creek Bridge (37-20-02). Also, the decayed diagonals on Linn County's Larwood Bridge (37-22-06) will be replaced sometime in 2003. Since the trusses on that roof are partially exposed, water has collected in the splits and cracks in the wooded timbers. The bridge supervisor said that we can expect the work to be completed just prior to or after the 2nd Annual Covered Bridge Festival to be held on September 20-21, 2003.

CONTRIBUTORS: Mary Ann Waller, Don & Pauline Prideaux, Dick Roy, James Crouse, Dorothy Brush, David Topham, Bill Cockrell.

New Covered Bridge Society of Virginia

The first meeting was held February 19, 2003. The meetings are scheduled every third Wednesday of the month at 6pm at Dennis' Spaghetti and Steak House, 3356 Western Branch Blvd., Chesapeake, VA 23321 The effective date of the Certificate of Corporation was May 23, 2003.

The society was started by Leola B. Pierce and her son Steve. Leola can be contacted by email at VaBridgeLady@aol.com

Book Review - by Joseph Cohen
Covered Bridges in the Southeastern United States by Warren H. White
Hardbound, 8.5x11 inches, 214 pages + 32 pages of colored photographs, published by McFarland & Co., Jefferson, NC

       This beautifully done book should really be called an encyclopedia. It is an extensive study of almost all the bridges in the southeastern United States, encompassing the states of Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. (There are no covered bridges in Mississippi.)
       Each state is given a separate chapter. Each bridge has a separate section devoted to it within the state chapter. The order is that of alphabetically by county and then alphabetically by bridge name. Each bridge section begins with brief statistics which include the World Guide number, the date of construction, the builder's name, dimensions including length, width and portal dimensions, alternate name(s), and location by street name. The dimensions are given in feet and inches.
       This is followed by a brief history and current description of the bridge and its surroundings. Finally there is a section of directions which includes mileage in most cases to the tenth of a mile. The directions sometimes differ from what is given in the World Guide, but I assume Mr. White's directions are more accurate and I will change them accordingly. The book contains many lovely colored photographs of the bridges as well as many more black and white pictures.

       Some notes: The author includes all authentic and non-authentic covered bridges that he could locate in each state. They are identified by category. He did not include one mill-bridge in Georgia as the owner requested it not be included. I will leave it up to you with the aid of the World Guide to determine which one he omitted. Except for the colored photographs the text is printed on non-coated paper. There is a glossary of terms used and an 8 page index.
       Finally, the World Guide number used is not what we are accustomed to. It begins with the 2 letter Zip Code abbreviation for the state instead of our 2 number system.
       The book is fairly pricey so you will want to know if it is worth the cost. My answer would be that it is if you will use the information it contains. I know that I will. There are many non-authentic bridges identified here that I was not aware of, including several near my winter home in Florida. I will be searching these out on my travels from Massachusetts south. The information will be very valuable in locating them.

Wimer Bridge Collapses. Injures 3

The Wimer Bridge in Oregon, the lone covered bridge in Jackson County that still allowed auto traffic, collapsed Sunday afternoon, July 6, 2003, sending a resident and his twin grandsons to the hospital.

For more information, see http://www.rogueriverpress.com/CovBridge.html

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Joe Nelson, P.O Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267, jcnelson@together.net
This web site page was coded by J.C. Nelson. The content is the intellectual property of the
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc. and its membership.
This file posted July 22, 2003