Today we decided to go to Vermont from our current base in New Hampshire simply because Paul has never been there. No firm itinerary in mind other than to see what we found.

We drove through a lot of countryside and small towns. We even made it to the Montpelier, the capitol. What caught my attention was the covered bridges.

It turns out that Vermont has more covered bridges per square mile than any other state. They were built from 1820 through the late 19th century or very early 20th century. Authentic covered bridges were built using trusses rather than stringers or other methods.

This is the Fisher Bridge in Wolcott, Vermont. It spans the Lamoille River and is a bit different from the other bridges coming later as it was the last railroad covered bridge in use Vermont. It was built in 1908. It was scheduled to be replaced by a steel bridge in the 1960s but was saved by placing a steel span beneath it.

The area around Northfield has one of the highest concentrations of covered bridges in the state. We took advantage of that.

Northfield Falls Covered Bridge (AKA: Station Covered Bridge) is in Northfield Falls and spans the Dog River. It was built in 1872. The Lower Cox Brook Covered Bridge is visible from this bridge. These are the only 2 covered bridges that are within sight of each other in Vermont.

The Lower Cox Brook Covered Bridge is in Northfield and spans the Cox Brook. It was built in 1972.

The Upper Cox Brook Covered Bridge is just up the road and also crosses the Brook Creek. It was also built in 1872.

The Upper Cox, Lower Cox, and Northfield Falls Bridges are all on the same road within 1/4 mile.

The Slaughter House Covered Bridge was built in 1872. It is outside of Northfield and it spans the Dog River. It led to the local slaughter house, hence the name.

The Stony Brook Covered Bridge was built in 1899 to cross the Stony Brook. It is also located in Northfield. It is unusual as it is one of only two surviving 19th century king post truss design bridges. This has to do with the structure of the support beam for the roof.

The Coburn Bridge was built in 1851 to cross the Winooski River. It is in East Montpelier. It is named after the man who built it and subsequently donated it to the city.

Martin Covered Bridge in Marshfield was built around 1890 to cross the Winooski River. It is one of the few surviving bridges originally built on a private road. It was solely built for the Martin family to have agricultural access to their lands on the far side of the river. This is the only original covered “farm” bridge left in Vermont. It was privately owned and maintained by the family for 113 years.

We did manage to see other things, but I found these bridges quite interesting. But, to finish things off, here’s a nice waterfall from our drive back to New Hampshire.