Shushan Bridge is a

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 ...

over the

Batten Kill The Batten Kill, Battenkill, or Battenkill River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 river rising in Vermont that flows into New York and is a tributary ...

in the hamlet of Shushan in

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. Washington County is part of the Gl ...

, near

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 ...

. It is one of 29 surviving historic covered bridges in New York State, and one of 4 surviving in Washington County. Shushan bridge

It was built in 1858 by builder Milton Stevens. Town and

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

designs were patented 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 ...

in 1820 and William Howe in 1840, respectively. The Shushan Bridge employs "the patented Town lattice truss, consisting of top and bottom chords of laminated wood plank, and a web of diagonal wood planks connected by wood trunnels at each point of intersection". It was individually inventoried by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 1977. It is one of four Washington County covered bridges submitted for listing 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 ...

in one multiple property submission. The others are the

Buskirk Bridge Buskirk Bridge is a wooden covered bridge and is the name of the hamlet in which it is located. It is in the town of Hoosick. The bridge, which crosses the Hoosic River is one of 29 historic covered bridges in New York State. The bridge takes i ...

, the

Rexleigh Bridge Rexleigh Bridge is a wooden covered bridge over the Batten Kill in Washington County, New York. It is one of 29 historic covered bridges in New York State. Town and Howe truss designs were patented by Ithiel Town in 1820 and William Howe (archi ...

, and Eagleville Bridge. All four were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1972. The Shushan bridge was closed to traffic in 1962, and was left abandoned for 10 years, then saved by local preservation efforts. Now it is operated as a seasonal museum.

References

External links

Shushan Covered Bridge (official site?)

Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Bridges completed in 1858 Wooden bridges in New York (state) Museums in Washington County, New York History museums in New York (state) Bridges in Washington County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, New York Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Lattice truss bridges in the United States {{NewYork-museum-stub