Carla Occaso
With foliage season around the corner, some may be drawn to the sight of an old-fashioned covered bridge nestled among the hills. Several remaining bridges dot our area, and make for a fun tour of Washington County. One was built in 1963 at the behest of Louise Kent, a.k.a. Mrs. Appleyard, on private property in Calais. It crosses Curtis Brook, according to Ed Barna in his 1996 book, “Covered Bridges of Vermont.” Barna also writes of Coburn Bridge, the only covered bridge in East Montpelier. It was built in the queen-post-truss style by Larnerd Coburn in the 1840s. Coburn gave the bridge to the town in exchange for the town running a road by his house. It was immersed by the 2023 flood, but survived.
Another queen-post-truss bridge can be found in Barre Town. It crosses the Jail Brook. It was built in 1962–64 by Robert Robbins to provide access to his land. It duplicated a covered bridge destroyed by the flood of 1927, and the main structure beams were made of Douglas fir shipped from California via the Panama Canal to New Jersey before coming up to Vermont. The exterior is Vermont lumber.
The town of Northfield is a veritable mecca of Washington County’s covered bridges with five such structures within its borders. The Slaughterhouse Bridge, built in 1872, crosses the Dog River. It is named after the slaughter house to which it once led.
Three more covered bridges can be found in Northfield Falls. The Station Bridge is a Town lattice-truss structure that is one of the three bridges within a half-mile of each other. Next is called “Second Bridge,” or “Lower Cox Brook” bridge built in the queen-post-truss style crossing the Cox Brook. The third is called “Third Bridge,” or “Upper Cox Brook” bridge built in the queen-post-truss style that also crosses the Cox Brook. Also in Northfield, the Moseley Bridge crosses Stony Brook. It was built in 1899 in a modified king-post-truss style by John Moseley.
“This is said to have been the last Kingpost bridge built on a public highway in Vermont,” Barna writes.
The Waitsfield Village bridge crossing the Mad River is the oldest existing covered bridge in Vermont, according to Joseph D. Conwill in his book, “Images of America: Vermont Covered Bridges.” It was built in 1833 with a Burr truss and named the “Big Eddy Bridge.” Warren is famous for its covered bridge as well. There are many more hidden around the state, with my personal favorite being “Emily’s Bridge” crossing the Gold Brook in Stowe.
