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30-637: The West Cornwall Covered Bridge (an earlier incarnation was known as the Hart Bridge ) is a wooden covered lattice truss bridge carrying the Sharon-Goshen Turnpike over the Housatonic River in the town of Cornwall, Connecticut . Records indicate that a bridge may have been in place in this location as early as 1762. A previous bridge was destroyed in the flood of 1837 and a new bridge was constructed in 1841. This bridge would also be destroyed and

60-404: A 3.2 feet gap between them. The combined trussed portions of the bridge are 149.1 feet long. The bridge's Town lattice is an unusual design choice, but the later addition of the queen trusses are also unusual, resulting in a unique visual appearance by the bridge's unequal spans. This gives the appearance of kingposts within the queenposts. Since the addition of the steel I-beam flooring in 1973,

90-512: A great deal of work or cost and which are prone to damage. If the pitch or the rafter lengths of the two roof sections are different, it is described as an 'asymmetrical gable roof'. A gable roof on a church tower (gable tower) is usually called a 'cheese wedge roof' ( Käsbissendach ) in Switzerland . Its versatility means that the gable roof is used in many regions of the world. In regions with strong winds and heavy rain, gable roofs are built with

120-533: A lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge can last over 100 years. In the United States, only about 1 in 10 survived the 20th century. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect, and the high cost of restoration. Surviving covered bridges often attract touristic attention due to their rarity, quaint appearance, and bucolic settings. Many are considered historic and have been

150-680: A mile in length, but was destroyed by ice and flooding in 1832. The longest, historical covered bridges remaining in the United States are the Cornish–Windsor Bridge , spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont, and Medora Bridge , spanning the East Fork of the White River in Indiana. Both lay some claim to the superlative depending upon how the length is measured. In

180-470: A pickup truck and its trailer hit the bridge. Constructed in 1864, the West Cornwall covered bridge is 172 feet (52 m) long, 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and supports one lane of vehicle traffic for the Sharon-Goshen Turnpike ( Connecticut Route 128 ). The bridge's Town lattice truss is constructed of red-spruce timbers secured by treenails and the span is made of native oak. A secondary queen-post truss

210-482: A settler of West Cornwall . Local tradition states that Selectman Marcus Smith traveled to North Adams, Massachusetts to choose the timber for the bridge. The 1841 bridge may have been overseen by Ithiel Town, but the current bridge dates to about 1864 according to research by Michael R. Gannett for the Cornwall Historical Society. The center pier which supports of the middle bridge was likely reused from

240-519: A steep pitch in order to prevent the ingress of water. By comparison, in alpine regions, gable roofs have a shallower pitch which reduces wind exposure and supports snow better, reducing the risk of an uncontrolled avalanche and more easily retaining an insulating layer of snow. Gable roofs are most common in cold climates. They are the traditional roof style of New England and the east coast of Canada. Nathaniel Hawthorne ’s The House of Seven Gables and Lucy Maud Montgomery ’s Anne of Green Gables ,

270-400: The flood of 1955 , caused by the combined effects of both Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane , threatened to wash the bridge away. In 1961, a severe ice jam threatened to destroy the bridge, but the jam was successfully dynamited. The bridge also had to be repaired in 1945 after a 20-ton oil truck fell through the bridge floor. In December 2022, the bridge had to be closed for a week after

300-651: The 1820s. Extant bridges from that decade include New York 's Hyde Hall Bridge and Pennsylvania 's Hassenplug Bridge , both built in 1825, and the Haverhill–Bath Covered Bridge and the Roberts Covered Bridge , in New Hampshire and Ohio respectively, both built in 1829. The longest covered bridge ever built was constructed in 1814 in Lancaster County , Pennsylvania, and spanned over

330-638: The 1950s, peaking at about 400 covered bridges. These mostly used the Howe, Town, and Burr trusses. Today, there are 58 covered bridges in New Brunswick , including the world's longest, the Hartland Bridge . Ontario has just one remaining covered bridge, the West Montrose Covered Bridge . Roofed, rather than covered bridges, have existed for centuries in southern Europe and Asia. In these cases,

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360-456: The 20th-century renovations, are contained in Connecticut and Rhode Island 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 wooden bridges typically have

390-518: The U.S., although it states that only 670 of those were standing when the 1959 edition was published. The tallest (35 feet high), built in 1892, is the Felton Covered Bridge , just north of Santa Cruz, California . Between 1969 and 2015, the number of surviving covered bridges in Canada declined from about 400 to under 200. In 1900, Quebec had an estimated 1,000 covered bridges. Relative to

420-431: The cover is to protect the users of the bridge rather than the structure. Examples include: In addition to being practical, covered bridges were popular venues for a variety of social activities and are an enduring cultural icon; for example: Gable roof The gable roof is so common because of the simple design of the roof timbers and the rectangular shape of the roof sections. This avoids details which require

450-534: The current West Cornwall bridge was believed to have been constructed in 1841, as a replacement for an earlier bridge that washed away in the flood of 1837. The 1841 date was even included on the National Register of Historic Places nomination and was claimed to have been supervised by Ithiel Town himself. At least one, but possibly several incarnations of these earlier bridges were known as the Hart Bridge, after

480-445: The current bridge would be completed circa 1864. Utilizing the central pier from the previous incarnation, despite the Town lattice being able to withstand the weight and single span, the bridge has two spans. The later addition of queen trusses and supports gives the bridge an unusual appearance. Modernization of the bridge in 1968 and 1973 has continued to let the bridge handle traffic. It

510-525: The mid-19th century, the use of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses. Metal structures did not need protection from the elements, so they no longer needed to be covered. The bridges also became obsolete because most were single-lane, had low width and height clearances, and could not support the heavy loads of modern traffic. As of 2004 , there were about 750 left, mostly in eastern and northern states. The 2021 World Guide to Covered Bridges lists 840 covered bridges in

540-499: The most popular designs was the Burr Truss , patented in 1817, which used an arch to bear the load, while the trusses kept the bridge rigid. Other designs included the King , Queen , Lattice , and Howe trusses . Early trusses were designed with only a rough understanding of the engineering dynamics at work. In 1847, American engineer Squire Whipple published the first correct analysis of

570-611: The precise ways that a load is carried through the components of a truss, which enabled him to design stronger bridges with fewer materials. About 14,000 covered bridges have been built in the United States, mostly in the years 1825 to 1875. The first documented was the Permanent Bridge , completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia . However, most other early examples of covered bridges do not appear until

600-515: The previous bridge. In 1968, the State of Connecticut added the bridge to the state system and considered replacing it. A local committee in West Cornwall was created and organized to save the covered bridge, through their efforts the Connecticut Department of Transportation decided to renovate the bridge. The bridge was raised up an additional two feet and steel supports were inserted to support

630-521: The rest of North America, Quebec was late in building covered bridges, with the busiest decade for construction being the 1930s. Initially, the designs were varied, but around 1905, the design was standardised to the Town québécois , a variant on the lattice truss patented by Ithiel Town in 1820. The designer is unknown. About 500 of these were built in the first half of the 20th century. They were often built by local settlers using local materials, according to standard plans. The last agricultural colony

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660-477: The roadway. In 1973, the roadway was reinforced with the addition of a concealed steel deck to support the weight of traffic. This project would win the Federal Highway Administration's award for outstanding historic preservation. Throughout its history, the bridge has endured against a series of disasters that threatened to demolish it. Flooding as a result of the 1938 New England hurricane and

690-508: The state of Connecticut. The bridge's modification from the original Town lattice represents a unique design that is not repeated in either the Comstock's Bridge or Bull's Bridge . The covered bridge is perhaps best known for being featured on postcards of New England villages. Terry Miller and Ronald Knapp assert that Charles Ives passed by the bridge on the way to the Berkshires which inspired

720-595: The subject of historic preservation campaigns. Typically, covered bridges are structures with longitudinal timber-trusses which form the bridge's backbone. Some were built as railway bridges, using very heavy timbers and doubled up lattice work. In Canada and the U.S., numerous timber covered bridges were built in the late 1700s to the late 1800s, reminiscent of earlier designs in Germany and Switzerland . They tend to be in isolated places, making them vulnerable to vandalism and arson. The oldest surviving truss bridge in

750-659: The third movement in the Three Places in New England . The bridge appeared in the opening scenes of the movie, Valley of the Dolls a 1967 American drama film based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Jacqueline Susann . This brief scene occurs near the 2 minute mark of the film, during the opening credits. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Numerous photos, including photos from before

780-504: The trusses have supported nothing but themselves. The State of Connecticut's lists the bridge as CT 1338 and the May 2012 inspection of the bridge found the deck and superstructure conditions to be satisfactory and condition of the substructure to be fair. The West Cornwall Covered bridge has been appraised as functionally obsolete. The West Cornwall covered bridge is very significant and important as one of only three surviving covered bridges in

810-567: The world is the Kapellbrücke in Switzerland, first built in the 1300s. Modern-style timber truss bridges were pioneered in Switzerland in the mid-1700s. Germany has 70 surviving historic wooden covered bridges. Most bridges were built to cross streams, and the majority had just a single span . Virtually all contained a single lane. A few two-lane bridges were built, having a third, central truss. Many different truss designs were used. One of

840-601: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Located at the north-south and east-west roadway section of the riverside town of Cornwall, Connecticut , numerous bridges have been built at this location. As early as 1762, a bridge may have been in service here. The lifespan of these bridges was not a long term one, for floods and ice would demolish them frequently. Peter Vermilyea, author of Hidden History of Litchfield County , states that wooden bridges had typical life spans of seven to ten years. Town records list expenditures for repair and placement. For many decades

870-449: Was added to the bridge at a later date, with one source stating that this was in 1887. The addition of the queen-post truss was likely to stiffen the bridge because wooden trusses have a tendency to sag. Prior to 1946, the bridge had a square port with a flat top, but this was modified to a gable roof which remains today. In 1957, the bridge was painted red for the first time. The bridge consists of two spans, 64.1 feet and 81.10 feet, with

900-684: Was founded in 1948, and the last bridge was built by the Ministry of Colonisation in 1958 in Lebel-sur-Quévillon . There are now 82 covered bridges in Quebec, Transports Québec including the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge , the province's longest covered bridge. In Quebec covered bridges were sometimes known as pont rouges (red bridges) because of their typical colour. Like Quebec, New Brunswick continued to build covered bridges into

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