2003 DIRECTOR'S MEETING HELD

Fuller Bridge - Montgomery, Vt. (WGN 45-06-05) © 2003 Richard St Peter See article "My Weekend Trip . . . "

The Fourth Annual VCBS Directors Meeting was held by e-mail, fax, telephone and "snail-mail," as has become the custom.
       This mode has become the favored one since the first VCBS Directors meeting was held April 13, 2000, at the Highlander Motel near Jeffersonville-- attendees had to travel long distances and in winter weather for the purpose of charting the Societies activities for the current year.
       The meeting began January 13 when a proposed agenda was sent to the board members by surface mail. They were asked accept or reject the proposed agenda items and to propose additional items.
       Among items addressed was a proposal to adopt an annual budget protocol and expense policy, an agenda for the Legislative Watch Committee, a proposal to dispose of the Eric Tobin painting, and to explore an offer to use the Windsor Bridge Toll House.
       Director Bill McKone proposed that the board authorize an approach to the Shelburne Museum to permit some type of on-going VCBS promotional/informational display at the museum and to explore a dedicated display of covered bridge info at the round barn. The proposal was approved and Mr. McKone will chair the committee to approach the Museum.
       The Annual Budget Protocol and Expense Policy adopted provides that a budget committee will be convened during the first quarter of each fiscal year to plan the Society's expenditures. The budget committee will be chaired by the treasurer and shall consist of the treasurer and two other members of the board of directors.
       Each standing committee chairperson will present to the treasurer the planned expenses of that committee for the fiscal year. The budget committee will allocate available resources among the committees. The new policy will better enable the allocation of monies directly to covered bridge preservation projects.
       The policy also contains guidelines for the reimbursement of members who accrue expenses while performing activities for the society.
       Members may have a copy of the policy by contacting the treasurer.
       Cambridge painter Eric Tobin , in the summer of 2000, donated to the VCBS his oil painting of the Cambridge Junction Bridge. With his permission, the VCBS has been selling digital prints of the painting. His work has become very popular among serious art collectors. Mr. Tobin has suggested that the VCBS sell this painting as this particular work would easily bring $1500. Modes of sale would include lottery.
       The vote of the board approved the sale of the painting but stipulated that it not be sold unless the proceeds were specifically needed. Terry Shaw expressed the belief that the value of the work was likely to increase. David Wright suggested that any funds realized should not be spent but treated as capital from which funds can be grown.
       Asked how the funds should be used the consensus was to use the proceeds as seed money for covered bridge preservation projects and possibly establishing a permanent fund to provide matching grants for covered bridge enhancements.
       The Windsor Bridge Toll House - VCBS member Suzanne Richardson and owner of the Windsor Bridge Toll House has offered the Toll House as a possible museum for Vermont's covered bridges; with small exhibits; for a library and/or research activities; as well as a meeting place and office for VCBS.
       The board voted to explore Suzanne Richardson's offer. David Wright agreed to confer with Susan Richardson to reach a full understanding of what she proposes in order to determine what roll the VCBS partnered with the National Society should play in her project. Should, as a result of his inquiry, a committee be formed, Mr. Wright volunteered to lead it, stipulating that Joe Nelson work with him on the project. Neal Daniels volunteered to serve on the committee.
       The Legislative Watch Committee , chaired by Director Terry Shaw, was directed by the board to investigate the restrictions on 501c3 organizations in the area of pursuing legislation be learned, understood, and adhered to.
       The Legislative Watch Committee is also to pursue, if 501c3 restrictions permit, the adoption of the so called Davis Bill by the Vermont State Legislature. The purpose of the bill is to prevent the loss of historic covered bridges to replication as in Bennington's Henry and Paper Mill Bridges and Montgomery's Fuller Bridge. The vote was six yes, three no, and one abstention.
       Said John Weaver: "The spirit of the Davis Bill is praise-worthy, but the bill is too restrictive, and once adopted would be too rigid. Also, since it was drafted, a number of other agreements between DHP and AOT have been drafted to cover procedures and policies. This has been a better approach than rigid legislation."
       Because of the narrowness of the approval, the AOT/DHP agreements will be examined by a committee to determine if pursuit of the Davis Bill is necessary. Members who would like to join the committee are asked to contact Joe Nelson. Copies of the Davis Bill are available upon request.
       In addition to the above items, Terry Shaw has been asked to approach members of the state legislature about enacting stricter and more punitive laws against acts of vandalism to covered bridges and to any property on the National Register of Historic Places.
       Bill McKone will continue to pursue the posting of highway signage by the State directing viewers to the covered bridges.
       At least one All-member meeting needs to be planned for this upcoming season. In the past, the Lyndon, Cambridge, Stowe, and Tunbridge Chapters have hosted the event. This year it would be good to have another Bridge-watch Area serve as host.
       The board agreed to support the Events Committee , chaired by Director Dick Wilson, to select a site and plan the event. Said Dick Wilson: "I am too far away to give you much input. My personal choice would be the Rutland area . . . .
      "I will tell you how the New York State Covered Bridge Society does it, . . . it has worked for us for many, many, years. Like you, our members are all over New York. We have picked the last meeting of the year, in November to have an all officer and director meeting to set up the next year's meetings and events. This is done on a Saturday, and our regular meeting is on Sunday. Every officer and director comes with ideas and we plan. This way everyone agrees on the meeting places before it is put in stone.
      "With the places and programs planned, one person, our program chairman contacts all the places we have set up to make the final details. . . The task of finding a place does not fall on the shoulders of just one person."

NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE AT UVM
A National Best Practices Conference on Covered Bridges to be held at UVM June 5 - 7, 2003. The Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) is working with The Preservation Education Institute in Windsor, Vt. and the graduate program in historic preservation at the University of Vermont to present the conference. The conference is part of The National Historic Covered Bridge Program funded under the Transportation Equity Act. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in partnership with the National Park Service, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), is undertaking a project to document significant covered bridges in the United States.
       More than 40 abstracts were received including: case studies in covered bridge repair, documenting covered bridges, engineering analysis of wooden bridges, issues of species specificity, applying the Secretary of the Interior's Standards to wooden covered bridges, fire detection and suppression systems, disaster mitigation, fund-raising strategies, maintenance programming, lost bridges, the case for building new wooden bridges, applying the timber frame craft to bridges, engineering insights into truss systems, and more.
       The National Historic Covered Bridge Best Practices Conference is being planned for state and local highway engineers, state and county covered bridge maintenance personnel, volunteers charged with raising funds for the preservation of covered bridges, local and national covered bridge preservation organizations, historic preservationists, general contractors, structural engineers, covered bridge historians, the traveling public and community members.
       A goal of the conference will be to develop a national reference base for evaluating various treatments of historic covered bridges in ways that will maintain their historic integrity as National Register properties.
       Early registration for the conference is $210 if postmarked no later than March 31, 2003. Registrations postmarked between March 31 and May 15, 2003 will cost $250. Registrations after May 1 will cost $315. Single day registrations will be available up to May 1 for a cost of $140. After May 1, single day registrations will be $175. The conference registration fee includes all educational sessions, continental breakfast and lunch for two days, a bound volume of the conference presentations, and the opening reception. The third day of the conference will feature a selection of tours of Vermont and New Hampshire covered bridges for an additional fee.
       The conference web site URL is www.uvm.edu/coveredbridges ; it will be updated regularly. Registration may be made by writing to The Preservation Education Institute at PO Box 1777 Windsor, VT 05089 or via phone and fax, 802-674-6752 and 674-6179 respectively. Major credit cards, purchase orders, and checks are accepted.
Email may be sent to coveredbridges@uvm.edu or to histwininc@valley.net.        Engineer John Weaver, VCBS vice president, will be attending for the VCBS.

VERMONT HISTORY EXPO 2003 COMING IN JUNE
Vermont History Expo 2003 coming in June by Irene Barna

Irene Barna and John Dostal man the VCBS booth at VHS Expo 2002 Photo by Joe Nelson 6/20/02

       Save the dates: June 21 and 22 Tunbridge Fairgrounds. The Vermont Covered Bridge Society will, again, have a booth in the Floral Hall. We will be located at the inside wall in the rear of the building, likely the same spot we had in 2001.
       This year our booth will feature an enlarged map of the state of Vermont with the locations of the existing covered bridges indicated with a three- dimensional icon. Additionally, locating by-gone bridges may be done as well--hoping to spark the recollections of passers-by to say, "Oh, I remember a bridge that was . . . ." and to locate where historically there have been bridges-- that spot on our map can then be identified with a different type of marker.
       This idea was the brainstorm of John Dostal, for which I am grateful as it sounds doable and is something we could use as a permanent presentation. My observation over the past three years of the Expo is that organizations such as ours have a permanent display, contrary to local Historical societies who are encouraged to present a new theme each Expo.
       In addition to the map we hope to display a few artifacts critical to bridge construction.
By the time this goes to press, I will have attended a workshop sponsored by the VHS offering creative ideas for booth set-up and presentation to further this concept.
       I encourage, no, actually I plead, fellow bridgers to spend some time staffing the booth. Saturday and/or Sunday. In past years a very few of us have given our time and every-day drives to Tunbridge to get awareness of the VCBS out to the public. Your participation in staffing the booth is welcomed.
       It IS FUN. Lots of interesting people go by and stop to chat. After all, they are all at the Expo because of their interest in history and preservation. I will be creating the schedule for Saturday and Sunday--hopefully in two-hour shifts. Please phone me 802-388-0247 or write ibarna@middlebury.edu for a time convenient for you to help out at the booth. Booths are open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. both days.
SAVE THE DATES: JUNE 21 AND 22 TUNBRIDGE

CB COMMUNITY NEWS

New "Romantic Shelter" Here is a bridge built last fall for snowmobilers. By the looks of it when we took the pictures, it's well served it's purpose. It's over a small creek in an open lot off Rte 8 just north of the Rte 12 exit south of Holland Patent, NY. - Janet Corby

Lyndon - Sanborn Bridge Repaired, Randall Bridge Slated - Feb 4, 2003: The abutments of the Sanborn Bridge [45-03-05], damaged in last year's high water have been repaired, writes Jim Fearon, member of the Lyndon Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society Northeast kingdom Chapter.
       Mr. Fearon checked with the town administrator and Mr. Elliot, owner of the bridge and the adjacent Lynburke Motel, concerning future plans.
      "Mr. Elliott has repaired the two damaged abutments and placed some fill where necessary- the condition looks pretty good except for the broken boards along the walkway," Fearon wrote.
       "The Randall bridge [45-03-07] project is due an engineering study for a permanent fix of the abutment by FEMA in the Spring," wrote Fearon. "The Historical Society has set aside funds to go ahead with the work next summer."

Bids are out for CB Renovations - The Vermont Agency of Transportation asked for bids for work on the Proctor-Pittsford Gorham Bridge [45-11-04] bid February 7, and Pittsford's Cooley Bridge [45-11-07] on February 14.

$700,000 Grant for Cedar Bridge Restoration - The Cedar Bridge [15-61-03] made popular by Robert Waller's "The Bridges of Madison County," received a $700,000 grant from the federal government.
       The 120-year-old covered bridge was destroyed by arson last September. There have been no arrests, but the arson investigation continues.
       The cost :to rebuild the bridge is estimated to be $1 million. The $700,000 federal grant will be supplemented by about $300,000 in insurance payments and donations.
       Calhoun-Burns and Associates, a West Des Moines engineering firm, will design the bridge, which will replicate the old one as accurately as possible.
       The federal grant money came from a program established by Congress to support transportation projects with historical significance. The bridge is expected to reopen by spring 2004. (From The Des Moines Register, January 15, 2003, clipping sent by J. Krumenacker, MN)

New CD of Oregon Covered Bridges Now Available - From The Bridge Tender, the Oregon Covered Bridge Society newsletter: "We've been in close contact with Oregon's Dept. of Transportation to create a user-friendly compact disk of the state's covered bridges.
       "Much of the narrative material was taken from ROOFS OVER RIVERS, but new maps and photos have been designed by Chris Leedharn at the Department.
       "You will need Adobe Acrobat on your computer to view the material. If you don't yet have this software, you can download it free. To order the CD, e-mail: bridge@odotstate.or.us
       "Currently, the CD is being shipped free. However, there may be a small charge in the future."

East Arlington Bridge (WGN 45-02-05) © 2003 Richard St Peter

31 Dec 2002
Happy New Year To You All !!
Chuck & I just received an e-mail from a friend who lives in Towanda. He has been talking to a person there in the highway department and he told us that the Knapp Bridge (WGN 38-08- 01) was open and that the dedication would be sometime in the spring. The person said he would contact us when more info was available. The phone number to contact the highway department is (570) 265-1715. Chuck and I have not been down to the bridge since mid- November. We'll let you know when we find out any more info. Take care and have a wonderful and safe new year. See you in the spring. Chuck & Nancy Knapp

30 Jan 2003
Hello! Be sure to include a brief blurb about two upcoming safaris in your newsletter: Theodore Burr CB Society of PA annual safari, 5-6 April, Lancaster County PA, based at the Eastbrook Inn, Ronks PA; the New York State CB Society annual safari, 17-18 May, Washington and Monroe Counties OH, based at Knights Inn, Marietta, OH.
       You might want to point out for those who have not been on a two-day safari before that there is usually a group dinner or "banquet" on Saturday night with somewhat of a meeting and/or speaker, and that, if possible, one would want to arrive before supper on Friday, as there is often fellowship and sometimes slides and/or a brief overview on Friday evening. (We did not know that at first and missed out, before we caught on to that simple truth.) Another thing many already know is that car-pooling is encouraged, so those who do not enjoy driving steep, narrow roads, often without a guardrail to hide the scenery, can probably leave their vehicle at the motel and ride with someone else (like me) who likes to do the driving.
James Crouse
[O.K. James, you have passed the word about the safaris for me. For further information about the New York society's safari check out our website www.vermontbridges.com, on the "Mark Your Calendar" page. These events are for members, so if you are not a member and would like to be, write or e-mail: Theo. Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania, P.O. Box 2383, Lancaster, PA 17603-2383; New York State Covered Bridge Society, 958 Grove St., Elmira, N.Y. 14901-1856. -Ed.]

THE "OTHER" GREEN RIVER BRIDGE
by Charlie Elflein
       Locating covered bridges in many states can be a real challenge, as quite a few of them are hidden far from major highways on remote country roads. Without good detailed maps, the dedicated bridger can become frustrated when hoping to see a maximum number of CBs in a minimum amount of time.

The Other Green River Bridge - old postcard

       Fortunately, most of Vermont's old spans are relatively easy to find, being situated near state routes or not far from them. Another advantage is having the historic structures pinpointed on the state map. Since the 1950s, both Vermont and New Hampshire have made it easy for the adventurous tourist to seek out these "links to the past." Thanks to this foresight, many people (myself included), became fascinated with New England's covered bridges by using the state maps.
       One span "far from the maddening crowd" is Green River Bridge, tucked away in a remote corner of Guilford in southeastern Vermont. Ed Barna summed it up best by describing this as, "a Vermont classic." Whichever route you choose to travel, this 1873 Town lattice structure is well worth the dusty, twisting roads to reach it. With many of our nation's covered bridges being "restored" these days with steel I-beams, glue-laminated wood, concrete abutments and ugly metal guard rails, this splendid old span has so far escaped from these shortcuts. Let's hope it remains so for many years to come!
       Just upstream from the existing bridge was another covered span, a small one who's history appears rather vague. In fact, I've never seen a photo of it until recently while attending a local post card show. What a thrill it was to find a picture of this remote Windham County bridge no longer standing!
       Barbara Oles, the Guilford Town Clerk, recently sent me a photocopy of a write-up which appeared in the Official History _of Guilford, Vermont 1678-1961, edited by the Broad Brook Grange No. 151. This is very interesting, but pertains only to the existing Green River span. No mention was made of the former bridge upstream. Still, the information is worth repeating. It states the following: "According to town records, several attempts were made each year, after the freshet of 1869, to get a vote to rebuild Green River Bridge. Finally in June of 1872 it was voted to build the bridge, that it should be a covered bridge and to be completed by November 1, 1873." Local help was under the practical supervision of Marcus Worden, and M. H. Day did the masonry work.
       Glancing at the post card of Green River's "other" bridge, it does bear some resemblance to the current span, so it is likely that Marcus Worden constructed this one, also. The portals, especially, look very similar being arched in shape with molding to provide the finishing touch. The truss, however, is not a Town lattice. Judging from the vertical posts in the old photo, it appears to be a queenpost.
       Those of you fortunate to own a copy of Covered Bridges in Windham County, Vermont, published in 1937 by the Brattleboro Daily Reformer and the Vermont Phoenix, will note on page 40 in the Green River Bridge text the following: "Another covered bridge built a short distance upstream at the same time was replaced a few years ago by a cement bridge."
       A well-researched article in the Spring 1969 Bulletin, quarterly publication of the former Connecticut River Valley Covered Bridge Society, traced the past and present covered spans of the Green River in Vermont and Massachusetts. Written by the late Tirzah P. Lincoln, one of the nation's foremost advocates of historic bridge preservation, stated in this that the bridge north of Green River was replaced by a new span built in 1929.
       To visit the site of this former landmark, travel north from the covered bridge approximately 0.5 of a mile on Green River Road (heading north towards West Guilford), and you will cross Green River on the concrete span which replaced it. The road is still unpaved and the surroundings are beautiful and unspoiled. While the covered span has been gone for many years, at least we have a photograph to prove its existence. Hopefully with further research, we will uncover more history about this little bridge in Green River.

MY WEEKEND TRIP TO VERMONT
by Richard St Peter
       How did you celebrate this past Valentine's Day, which happened to fall in line with a Monday Federal Holiday, President's Day?

West Arlington Bridge (WGN 45-02-01) © 2003 Richard St Peter

       Since I am a native Vermonter, now living in Newport News, VA, I left Feb13th and headed for Vermont to visit the state and photograph covered bridges under winter conditions.
       I arrived the next day and immediately photographed the snow covered Gorham, Cooley and Hammond Bridges located in the Proctor/Pittsford area. I then drove North toward my B&B destination in Montgomery Center, the Black Lantern Inn. Once I arrived there, I quickly photographed the Comstock and Fuller Bridges. Both of these bridges are within walking distance of the B&B.
       Friday night the B&B provided a good meal and romantic atmosphere to spend Valentine's Day with my wife. As the evening progressed, however, the winter temperatures lowered and sometime during the night reached minus 41 degrees!! When I woke up and dressed to go out and photograph the covered bridges it was 29 degrees below zero at 7:30am. Unable to start my car, I walked to the Comstock and Fuller Bridges to photograph them again. Shortly before 11am, my car started and before departing the area, I was able to photograph the Comstock and Fuller Bridges again.

Middle Bridge, Woodstock, Vt. (45-14-15) © 2003 Richard St Peter

       Since I had scheduled a sleigh ride at Mt Top Inn in Chittenden for 4pm Saturday, my wife (also a photographer) and I headed down Route 118 to Route 100, to Interstate 89 then Route 107 to Route 100 and into Rutland from Route 4. Since the sleigh ride was our priority and having photographed all the bridges along our route, I chose to only photograph the Giorgetti Bridge in Pittsfield. The sleigh ride took us over the snow covered fields and through the woods during the 40 minute adventure in minus 14 degree temperatures. That night we enjoyed supper in Killington and spent the evening in Rutland.
       We rose early Sunday to head out on Route 4 east toward Woodstock where I photographed both covered bridges and then headed down Route 100 South to Route 11 to Route 7a South where we photographed the Chiselville Bridge, and headed west on 313 toward Sandgate where we photographed a private bridge and then our final bridge at West Arlington, the Batten kill.
       To summarize the trip, I covered 420 miles over Vermont roads, photographed 11 covered bridges, and saw the temperatures change from plus 4 degrees to minus 41 degrees and snow in all the areas for us to enjoy for winter scenic photography.
       And I will return again, probably in the Fall since I enjoy photographing Vermont in the winter and fall seasons.
       A final note. To view other photographs of my Vermont bridges, check out the website: vtonly.com, scroll to covered bridges, winter bridges are all mine or click on other bridge sites while there and my photographs are identified with my name. Hope you visit the site and enjoy the photographs.

Cooley Bridge, Pittsford, Vt. (45-11-07) © 2003 Richard St Peter	Lincoln Bridge, West Woodstock, Vt. (45-14-13) © 2003 Richard St Peter

Hammond Bridge, Pittsford, Vt. (45-11-05) © 2003 Richard St Peter	Giorgetti Bridge, Pittsfield, Vt. (45-11-B2) 1978 stringer © 2003 Richard St Peter

Spring is just around the corner and it won't be long before you'll want to get rid of those bulky winter coats, get out your sneakers, dust off your camera's and make a road trip to see our beautiful covered bridges. Many of them have recently been rehabilitated and are worth a trip to see them, even if you have seen them before. But don't go alone. Take a friend, or even a new member who has yet to discover what a relaxing and fun adventure bridging can be.

And speaking of new members, we have 12 new memberships this quarter. Please join me in welcoming the following individuals to our Society: Joe Giannattasio, Thelma Barker, John & Claire Burdett, Laurie Tolmasoff, Helga Maguire, Gail David, Jim McKimm & Paul Becker, Leo Fleury, Bill Caswell, Jay Koons, Brendan Larrabee, Salisbury Historical Society. Welcome!

A special thanks to members Bonnie Shultz and Nancy Paulhus, for converting to life members.

Oops . . . Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we often forget things that are important to us . . . like renewing our membership with the Vermont Covered Bridge Society. If there is an (02) beside your name on the mailing label of this newsletter, your membership has expired. Help us continue our challenging work by renewing your membership as soon as possible. To renew go to JOIN.VCBS.HTM to find a printable membership application form.

Members upcoming birthday's and anniversaries:
March
2       John Billie
15       Ed Rhodes
April
13       Gary Krick
May
12       James Crouse
17       Ron Bechard
22       Irene Barna
31       Stephen & Joanne Baravella

Yours in bridging, Joe Nelson

COVERED BRIDGES BOOK SPECIAL SALE

Covered Bridges in
the Southeastern
United States
A Comprehensive
Illustrated Catalog
Warren H. White
252 pages $74 $49.95 illustrated case binding (8'/z x 11)
120 photographs (55 in color), glossary, appendix, index
ISBN 0-7864-1536-3 2003

       Covered bridges are gaining public attention as states and individual counties are making large investments in the repair and preservation of existing covered bridges, offering tours of them, and building new ones. This work documents all extant covered bridges in the southeastern United States, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
       The book is arranged by state, then by county and bridge name, utilizing the most commonly known or locally used name. The bridges are organized into four categories: authentic historic, authentic modern, non-authentic historic, and non-authentic modern. For each bridge, the author provides a brief history and description of the bridge, the World Guide Covered Bridge identification number, and length and width dimensions.
       To be included, a bridge must have been originally built as, or intended to be, a true covered bridge, meaning that it is used as a means of traveling over an obstacle, usually water, not attached to buildings solely for access to the building or between buildings, and has a covered portion at least ten feet in length. Richly illustrated.

       Nature photographer Warren H. White lives in Longwood, Florida.

GREEN RIVER COVERED BRIDGE HOUSE B & B