Bedell Covered Bridge
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The Bedell Bridge was a
Burr truss The Burr Arch Truss—or, simply, Burr Truss or Burr Arch—is a combination of an arch and a ''multiple kingpost'' truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridges ...
covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...
that spanned the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
between Newbury, Vermont and
Haverhill, New Hampshire Haverhill is a town and the seat of Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,585 at the 2020 census. Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corn ...
. Until its most recent destruction in 1979, it was, with a total length of , the second-longest covered bridge in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The bridge was divided into two spans of roughly equal length, and rested on a central pier and shore
abutments An abutment is the Bridge#Structure types, substructure at the ends of a bridge Span (architecture), span or dam supporting its Bridge#Structure types, superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and l ...
constructed from mortared rough stone. The eastern abutment has been shored up by the addition of a concrete footing. The bridge was wide, with a roadway width of . Because the state line is the western low-water mark of the Connecticut River, most of the bridge was in New Hampshire; only the western abutment is in Vermont. The site is now part of the Bedell Bridge State Park in Haverhill, New Hampshire.


History

There have been five bridges on this site. The first was built in 1805 and heavily damaged in 1823. Quickly rebuilt that year, it was washed away in 1841. A third bridge was carried away by a spring flood in 1862. The fourth bridge was destroyed in a storm on July 4, 1866, and replaced the same year. This fifth bridge was in service for 92 years, until it was closed to traffic in 1958. It was scheduled for demolition in 1973 due to heavy damage that year. A "Save the Bedell Bridge Committee" raised $250,000 to rebuild the bridge, which was completed by 1978, and included the establishment of the associated Bedell Bridge State Park in the area of the eastern abutment. The bridge was rededicated on July 22, 1979, only to be blown away again by a windstorm on September 14, 1979. The state park, as well as the abutments and a
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
in the river, are all that remain. When first built, the bridge was in private ownership, and a toll was charged to cross it. In 1916, the towns of Newbury and Haverhill purchased the bridge and eliminated the toll. Ownership of the bridge was transferred to the state of New Hampshire in 1967.


Image gallery

File:226 08 Bedell Covered Bridge.jpg, Site of the bridge, with a pier standing alone in the river Image:226 15 BCB pier.jpg, The pier complete with crowning tree. Image:226 09 Bedell Covered Bridge marker.jpg, New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 136 Image:226 10 bridge marker.jpg, The memorial marker Image:226 17 people on abutment.jpg, People on the eastern abutment, giving a sense of scale


See also

*
List of crossings of the Connecticut River This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Connecticut River from its mouth at Long Island Sound upstream to its source at the Connecticut Lakes. The list includes current road and rail crossings, as well as ferries carrying a state hig ...
*
List of New Hampshire covered bridges This is a list of New Hampshire covered bridges, old, new, and restored. There are 58 historic wooden covered bridges currently standing and assigned official numbers by the U.S. state of New Hampshire. There are additional covered bridges exta ...
*
List of Vermont covered bridges Below is a list of covered bridges in Vermont. There are just over 100 authentic covered bridges in the U.S. state of Vermont, giving the state both the highest number of covered bridges per square mile and per capita in the United States, as we ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Grafton County, New Ha ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Vermont __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Vermont. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, Vermo ...
*
List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire This is a list of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Current listings Former listing See also *List of covered bridges in New Hampshire Notes References

{{National Register of ...
*
List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont This is a list of bridges and tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places in the U.S. state of Vermont. See also *List of covered bridges in Vermont *List of non-authentic covered bridges in Vermont References

{{DEFAULTSORT:L ...


Notes


References

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External links


Bedell Bridge State Park official site



Wildernet site
{{NRHP in Grafton County, New Hampshire Bridges over the Connecticut River Buildings and structures in Newbury, Vermont Bridge disasters in the United States Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Wooden bridges in New Hampshire Wooden bridges in Vermont Bridges in Grafton County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Grafton County, New Hampshire Covered bridges in Orange County, Vermont Bridge disasters caused by wind Former toll bridges in New Hampshire Former toll bridges in Vermont 1805 establishments in New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Grafton County, New Hampshire Haverhill, New Hampshire Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Burr Truss bridges in the United States 1805 establishments in Vermont Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States