Yesterday was a misty, dreary day, so we decided to travel to an area with 3 covered bridges all in the same vicinity. We were hoping that the weather was better in that area than it was in ours. The first bridge was Swiftwater Bridge. This bridge is the fourth to cross the Wild Ammonoosuc River at this site. The first was built in 1810. It was carried away in 1818 by a flood and replaced in the same year. Again, the bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1828. The third bridge was erected in 1829 and remained at the site until 1849. At that time it was dismantled and replaced by the current bridge. This bridge was rebuilt by the state in 1977 at a cost of $34,347. The rebuilding costs were shared by the state and town. This section of the river was used to float logs to the sawmill. Often log jams presented a hazard to the bridge. In one case, dynamite was used to break up a log jam and although the blast was successful, logs had to be removed from the roof of the bridge. The Swiftwater Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We left there and headed over to Bath, New Hampshire to the bridge there. The bridge has a total length of over 390 feet and a roadbed that is just over 22 feet wide. The bridge consists of four spans supported by Burr trusses, resting on stone piers and abutments, and is finished with vertical board siding. When originally built, it had only three spans, but when the bridge was raised in the 1920s, a third pier was added, as were laminated arches to strengthen the bridge.
The bridge is the fifth to stand on this site, where a bridge has stood since at least 1794. That bridge was washed away by flooding in 1806, as were subsequent bridges in 1820 and 1826. The fourth bridge was destroyed by fire in 1830. The bridge serves a primarily rural residential population, and sees relatively little traffic.The bridge was closed to traffic in October 2012[ for safety, structural, and cosmetic reasons. After 21 months and $3 million in repairs, it re-opened in August 2014.
The Brick Store is also located in Bath. It claims to be the oldest general store in America. We decided to check it out and I was a little disappointed. I was expecting it to have souvenirs and unique pieces of the bridge and of the "oldest general store." Nothing. It had snacks/drinks, fudge, and name brand items found at any store in America.
After our visit, we headed to the next bridge. It is the Bath-Haverhill Bridge. According to New Hampshire Department of Transportation records, this is the oldest covered bridge still in use in New Hampshire. It is the first and only bridge to be erected at this site. In March of 1827 the voters of Bath appointed a committee to hold discussions with the selectmen of Haverhill regarding the site of a bridge between the two towns. In September of 1828 the town of Bath set aside $300 to purchase stone and timber for a bridge. In March 1829, Ariel Miner was given the position of superintendent, but upon his request in June of that year he was released from this position and replaced by Moses Abbott and Leonard Walker. The bridge was completed later in the year. In 1973 it was repaired at a cost of $38,710. Ice damaged the structure in the winter 1980 and the bridge was repaired by the state in March of 1981 at a cost of $8,000. Someone unsuccessfully attempted to burn it on the night of September 11, 1983. The Bath-Haverhill Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There is one more bridge we plan to visit in New Hampshire. It claims to be the longest covered bridge in the US. Then, I'll leave visiting covered bridges again until Vermont.
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