What is a covered bridge and why do they exist? Most of the covered bridges were built to cross streams. A covered bridge has a roof, decking, and sides creating an almost complete enclosure. This is done to protect the wooden infrastructure of the bridge from the weather. An uncovered wooden bridge will typically last only 20 years where a covered bridge can last 100 years.
Are covered bridges only in the United States? NO! …but only about 1,600 covered bridges are remaining in the world.
Is there such a thing as an official scenic roadway? YES! …but it’s called a Scenic Byway! The Scenic Byway in Vermont is called the Connecticut River Byway which the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge is a part of. The Connecticut River is also the boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire but the actual state line was battled over for YEARS!
In 1664, King Charles II gave his brother, James, the Duke of York, the area known today as New York and Vermont where the grant specified running east “to the Connecticut River”
Between 1749 and 1764, the New Hampshire Governor issued 135 land grants WEST of the Connecticut River which was land already claimed by New York!
In 1763, the British government declared that the issued 135 grants were part of New York and NOT New Hampshire
In 1789, the owners of the grants, the Vermont Republic, bought the land from New York for $30,000 and then Vermont became the 14th state
In 1915, Vermont and New Hampshire are still fighting over where the state line between the two states is. Vermont wanted the state line in the middle of the Connecticut River and New Hampshire wanted the state line at the Vermont shore of the river!
In 1933, the SUPREME COURT declared the state line between the two states to be the west shore of the river at the low-water line where “neither of them got that they wanted”
Today!!! To fish the Connecticut River, a nonresident of either state must have a New Hampshire fishing license.
Just a CRAZY story of a border war in our history that I did not know before!
@Denise_Barlock That’s interesting information about covered bridges. I always wondered why they build covered bridges, now I know the answer. I have seen couple of covered bridges in CA, one at Knights Ferry, CA and one near Wawona, CA on the way to Yosemite!
@PaulPavlinovich We absolutely do NOT fit under them!!! hahahahaha… Most are 3 FEET too short! We laugh about it almost every time we looked at one. We’d just take the top off the bridge and probably a good bit of the RV as well! We are 12 feet 6 inches tall. Whew!
I wonder how many people watch you approach one and quietly hope for a bit of 11’8" bridge action :). I have to say its kinda fun to watch the channel https://www.youtube.com/c/yovo68/videos
I loved your article! I’ve always found covered bridges fascinating, although there’s only one such bridge in Bulgaria. The Covered Bridge in Lovech is more than 200 years ago and was built by a famous local craftsman. There are souvenir shops inside it now, so it’s more like an attraction and a museum of traditional crafts.
Your idea to create a list of bridges to see on your visit is really neat! That list is now a fantastic guide for others traveling to Vermont.
By the way, since you’re sharing a travel story, I believe the Travel topic will fit your content better. Please note that I’m changing the topic of your post. Thank you!
Interesting post @Denise_Barlock . I had no idea what the idea was behind covered bridges and that there was some 1,600 covered bridges in the world. Thank you for sharing your research!
@PaulPavlinovich We do catch ourselves watching trucks, etc and then we go “wow” it seemed to barely fit under that bridge! Sigh… this is a HUGE fear of ours! hahahahahahhaa… We must always watch!
@DeniGu I’m glad you liked the story! I, too, am fascinated with covered bridges. We did see one where they turned it into shops on our travels.
The covered bridge travel list worked amazingly! While we were driving around, we always knew if there was a bridge close by.
Thank you for moving to the Travel topic. Another moderator specified that all #StateChallenge articles were to be placed under Local Stories which didn’t make sense. Hahahahahaha… I happy where ever it is Thank you again!
@AdamGT I’m really loving the research that I’m doing for the #StateChallenge. I, too, am learning a great deal about various topics! hahahahahaha…
Covered bridges are very cool and I found it fascinating the US vs world comparisons.
Wonderful! Although I have seen semi-covered bridges with metallic bars, but I’ve never seen a fully covered one looking much like a bungalow house on a bridge. That’s awesome @Denise_Barlock ! That’s a lot of history there too. Thanks for the insightful piece.
Just a question, I don’t see lighting works inside the bridge, how does it look at night, is it safe considering it would be very dark?
@Mayford I had only seen a few before because most in the United States are in the Northeast. I don’t think I saw any that had lighting. All of the bridges were just car width and if walkers were allowed, they had an outside walkway. Also, all of these bridges were in VERY tiny towns or very remote. I wouldn’t think safety would be much of an issue if one was willing to be out walking where these bridges were.
I guess there must have been some kind of miscommunication, @Denise_Barlock . The #StateChallenge posts are so diverse (and awesome) that it’s best they’re posted under the most suitable topic. If it’s a travel story, the Travel board is best; if it’s a post about local traditions or celebrations, the Local Stories will be the best choice.
Indeed @Denise_Barlock when you wipe out the roof of a box truck or trailer you can just rent another one, but when your home has to go into the shop for a major repair that would be very difficult and quite devastating to your lifestyle.
@PaulPavlinovich Yes! Luckily, to date, we’ve only had to move into a hotel a couple of times because the RV had to stay in the shop overnight(s)… and it’s more difficult with the two dogs as we have to find one that will let them in! We really try to keep the RV out of the repair shop! hahahahaha
Muy lindo post @Denise_Barlock , a medida que lo leĂa me recordaba la pelĂcula tan famosa “Los Puentes de Madison”, donde un puente similar al de tu foto era casi uno de los personajes de la pelĂcula.
For the case that has difficulty, in reading my answer, in the upper right part of the screen, in the drop-down menu of languages, you can select the language, in which you want to read the post.
Great post @Denise_Barlock so many beautiful places to visit when the situation gets better. Vermont is in my list now. I’m learning and knowing so much of USA with these Meet-Ups, Thanks for that!
@SilvyC yes! Each state has so much to offer and so varied from its neighbor. It is our goal to visit each state and I, too, am finding it fascinating to learn about each state
Thank you again!
