The Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge is a -year-old, two-

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan es ...

, timber

Town lattice A lattice bridge is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice. The lattice Truss Bridge was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town. Originally a design to allow a substantial bridge to b ...

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...

, ,

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 crosses the Connecticut River between

Cornish, New Hampshire Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair. History The town was granted in 1763 and contained a ...

(on the east), and

Windsor, Vermont Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when V ...

(on the west). Until 2008, when the

Smolen–Gulf Bridge The Smolen–Gulf Bridge is a covered bridge which carries State Road (Ashtabula County Road 25) across the Ashtabula River at the Plymouth and Ashtabula Township line in northern Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. At 613 feet (182.9 mete ...

opened in

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, it had been the longest covered bridge (still standing) in the United States.

History

Previous bridges

There were three bridges previously built on this site—one each in 1796, 1824 and 1828. The 1824 and 1828 spans were constructed and operated by a group of businessmen which included

Allen Wardner Allen Wardner (December 13, 1786 – August 29, 1877) was a Vermont banker, businessman and politician who served as State Treasurer. He was also the father-in-law of Attorney General, Secretary of State and United States Senator William M. E ...

(1786–1877).

1866 bridge (current)

The current bridge was built in 1866 by Bela Jenks Fletcher (1811–1877) of

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ** Claremont Football Club, West Australian Footba ...

and James Frederick Tasker (1826–1903) of

Cornish Cornish is the adjective and demonym associated with Cornwall, the most southwesterly part of the United Kingdom. It may refer to: * Cornish language, a Brittonic Southwestern Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Cornwa ...

at a cost of $9,000 (). The bridge is approximately long and wide. The structure uses a

lattice Lattice may refer to: Arts and design * Latticework, an ornamental criss-crossed framework, an arrangement of crossing laths or other thin strips of material * Lattice (music), an organized grid model of pitch ratios * Lattice (pastry), an ornam ...

patented in 1820 and 1835 by

Ithiel Town Ithiel Town (October 3, 1784 – June 13, 1844) was an American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the f ...

(1784–1844). From 1866 through 1943, it operated as a toll bridge. According to a 1966 report by the

New Hampshire Division of Economic Development The New Hampshire Division of Economic Development (DED) is a government agency of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The agency's headquarters are located in Concord. History New Hampshire has had a Division of Economic Development since 1962. D ...

, the bridge was plenty long enough to earn the name "kissin' bridge", a vernacular of covered bridges referring to the brief moment of relative privacy while crossing. Other tolls, in 1866, ran as high as 20 cents () for a four-horse carriage. The span was purchased by the state of New Hampshire in 1936 and became toll-free in 1943.

Landmark designation and restoration

* 1970: The

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(ASCE) designated the bridge a

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...

. * 1976: The bridge was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

. * 1988: The Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge was rehabilitated, funded by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...

Clarification of "longest bridge" status

While the

Old Blenheim Bridge Old Blenheim Bridge was a wooden covered bridge that spanned Schoharie Creek in North Blenheim, New York, United States. With an open span of , it had the second longest span of any surviving single-span covered bridge in the world. The 1862 B ...

had and

Bridgeport Covered Bridge The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is located in Bridgeport, Nevada County, California, southwest of French Corral and north of Lake Wildwood. It is used as a pedestrian crossing over the South Yuba River. The bridge was built in 1862 by David John ...

has longer clear spans, and the Smolen–Gulf Bridge is longer overall, with a longest single span of , the Cornish–Windsor Bridge is still the longest wooden covered bridge and has the longest single covered span to carry automobile traffic. (Blenheim was and Bridgeport is pedestrian only.) The

Hartland Bridge The Hartland Covered Bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick, is the world's longest covered bridge, at long. It crosses the Saint John River from Hartland to Somerville, New Brunswick, Canada. The framework consists of seven small Howe Truss bri ...

Hartland, New Brunswick Hartland is a town in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada. On 1 January 2023, Hartland annexed all or part of seven local service districts, greatly expanding its area and population. The community's name remains in official use. Revised ...

, Canada, is longer than the Cornish-Windsor Bridge, and is currently open, but the claim that Cornish-Windsor was the longest was made when the Hartland was closed.

Access

From Vermont

Vermont Route 44 Vermont Route 44 (VT 44) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont. The highway runs from VT 106 in Reading east to U.S. Route 5 (US 5) and VT 12 in Windsor. VT 44 passes through West Windsor in souther ...

in Windsor heading southeast, ends at Main Street. (Main Street is also

US 5 U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south United States highway running through the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Significant cities along the route include New Haven, Connecticut; Hartford, Connecticut; and Spring ...

and

VT 12 Vermont Route 12 (VT 12) is a north-south state highway in Vermont that runs from Weathersfield to Morrisville. Moose are most often encountered on four roads in Vermont, of which this is one. They are seen from Worcester to Elmore. Rou ...

.) Continuing past Main, the road becomes Bridge Street. Traveling on Bridge Street from Main, the Windsor bridge approach is about 2 tenths of a mile or . After crossing the bridge, Bridge Street ends at

New Hampshire Route 12A New Hampshire Route 12 is a long north-south state highway in southwestern New Hampshire. Its southern terminus is at the Massachusetts state line in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, Fitzwilliam, where it continues south as Massachusetts Route 12. Its ...

, which runs along the Connecticut River on the west and

Cornish Wildlife Management Area The Cornish Wildlife Management Area is one of 124 New Hampshire State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). It is located in Cornish, New Hampshire, Cornish and covers . History The Cornish WMA was purchased in 1972 with Federal Aid in Sport Fish ...

on the east. Although the public sometimes perceives the bridge as being solely in Windsor, the bridge is mostly in

, given that the

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

boundary runs along the western mean low-water mark of the Connecticut River. Put another way, when one enters the bridge from the Windsor side, one is immediately in New Hampshire. From New Hampshire
On

(Town House Road) in Cornish, coming from the south, Bridge Road is a

T intersection A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T ...

on the left (west). Traveling from the north, from

West Lebanon, New Hampshire West Lebanon is a section (pop. approx 4,100) of the city of Lebanon, New Hampshire, on the Connecticut River. The area contains a major shopping plaza strip along New Hampshire Route 12A, serving the Upper Valley communities along Interstates 89 ...

, New Hampshire Route 12A is a notably scenic route along the Connecticut River. Historical marker Traveling from Cornish, just before the bridge intersection (about south of the bridge intersection), on the left, there is a parking area (about ) for viewing the bridge, which includes a

New Hampshire historical marker The U.S. state of New Hampshire has, since 1958, placed historical markers at locations that are deemed significant to New Hampshire history. The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) are j ...

. The marker ( number 158) is one of four in Cornish.

List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Hampshire __NOTOC__ This is a list of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Bridges References External links {{HAER list, structure=bridge *List *List New Hampshire Bridges, HAER ...

List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Vermont __NOTOC__ This is a list of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in the U.S. state of Vermont. Bridges References External links {{HAER list, structure=bridge *List *List Vermont Vermont () is a state in ...

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 Connecticut Lakes are a group of lakes in Coos County, New Hampshire, Coos County, n ...

List of covered bridges in New Hampshire 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 extant ...

List of covered bridges in Vermont 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 the highest number of covered bridges per square mile in the United States. A covered bridge is consi ...

– previous claim of longest single covered span *

– another claim of longest single covered span *

– The longest covered bridge in the world (located in Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada) *

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 Histo ...

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 The State of Vermont has the hi ...

----

Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 00001a.jpg, (image 1 of 9)
1984
Cover page Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 00002a.jpg, (image 2 of 9)
1984
South elevation
Deck plan Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 00003a.jpg, (image 3 of 9)
1984
Longitudinal section
Reflected deck-framing plan
Reflected floor-framing plan Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 00004a.jpg, (image 4 of 9)
1984
East elevation
Transverse section Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 00005a.jpg, (image 5 of 9)
1984
Assembly detail File:Cornish-Windsor Bridge-Inside-2018.jpg, (image 6 of 9)
2018
Viewed from the

side.
The lattices are the diagonal beams on the sides attached to the chords (horizontal beams running, lengthwise, parallel to the floor planks); from top to bottom – the primary upper chord, the secondary upper chord, the secondary lower chord, and the primary lower chord. File:Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 104664pu.jpg, (image 7 of 9)
1984
Underside showing – from the bottom up – the lower lateral braces attached to the floor

joists A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space, often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. When incorporated into a floor framing system, joists serve to provide stiffness to the s ...

that support the floor planks. File:Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - HAER NH-8 - 104665pu.jpg, (image 8 of 9)
1984
Looking up, inside, upper lateral braces, sway braces, roof

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associate ...

s, collar beams,

purlins A purlin (or historically purline, purloyne, purling, perling) is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin. Pu ...

, and roof sheathing File:Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge.jpg, (image 9 of 9)
2014
(Beth Stiner photo)
Looking south and downstream, the four (of five) bridge piers seen in the background are those of the

New England Central Railroad The New England Central Railroad is a regional railroad in the New England region of the United States. It began operations in 1995, as the successor of the Central Vermont Railway (CV). The company was originally a subsidiary of holding com ...

Connecticut River Bridge No 3, served locally by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

's '' Vermonter'' stop at the

Windsor Station Windsor station or Windsor railway station may refer to: Australia * Windsor railway station, Brisbane * Windsor railway station, Sydney * Windsor railway station, Melbourne Canada * Windsor Station (Montreal) * Windsor station (Nova Scotia) * ...

. The

sightline In architecture, sightlines are a particularly important consideration in the design of civic structures, such as a stage, arena, or monument. They determine the configuration of such items as theater and stadium design, road junction layou ...

of the roadroad bridge is eclipsed by the Cornish-Windsor Bridge.

References

External links

Cornish–Windsor Bridge
New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge Bridges completed in 1866 1866 establishments in Vermont Wooden bridges in Vermont Covered bridges in Windsor County, Vermont Tourist attractions in Windsor County, Vermont Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Windsor County, Vermont Buildings and structures in Windsor, Vermont Windsor, Vermont 1866 establishments in New Hampshire Wooden bridges in New Hampshire Bridges in Sullivan County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Sullivan County, New Hampshire Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Sullivan County, New Hampshire Cornish, New Hampshire Historic American Engineering Record in New Hampshire Historic American Engineering Record in Vermont Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Bridges over the Connecticut River Lattice truss bridges in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States