A complete guide to more than 200 covered bridges in the six New England states.

During the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries, the erection of nearly one thousand covered bridges was recorded in New England's archives. However, the ravages of time, storms, floods, neglect, and vandals have reduced the remaining historic, authentic covered bridges to fewer than two hundred. While the majority of these bridges are in the states of Vermont and New Hampshire, wonderful examples of covered bridges can be found in all six of the New England states.

New Hampshire once had nearly four hundred covered bridges, most of which unfortunately are no longer in existence. Some of them were railroad bridges and, although often viewed as charming relics of the past, all of these bridges were actually vital links in New Hampshire's transportation system. Covered bridges were used to cross most of New Hampshire's large rivers, including the Connecticut, Merrimack, Mascoma, Contoocook, Pemigewasset, and Ashuelot. New Hampshire Covered Bridges is a photographic study of the state's enclosed wooden spans that date from as far back as 1827. The book contains rare photographs of historic bridges that no longer exist, as well as pictures of many that still stand today. The images are accompanied by detailed information about the design and construction of covered bridges and the men who built them. Each bridge has its own life story. Some have defied floods and hurricanes and still stand; others have fallen victim to nature or arson or the demands of modern transportation.

Covered bridges are gaining attention as states and counties are making large investments in the repair and preservation of existing covered bridges, offering tours and building new ones. This work documents all extant covered bridges--vehicle, railroad and pedestrian--in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The book is arranged by state, then by county and bridge name, using the most commonly known or locally used name. All other known names will be included for each bridge, cross-referenced in the index. Each state is prefaced with a brief synopsis of its bridges, past and present, including bridge types, truss types and geographic location. To be included, a bridge must have been originally built as, or intended to be, a true covered bridge, meaning that it is used as a means of traveling over an obstacle, usually water, not attached to buildings solely for access to the building or between buildings, and has a covered portion at least ten feet in length. Richly illustrated.

This book invites the reader to step back in time and imagine the days when ancestors traveled through wooden spans to reach their daily destinations. Starting in the early 1800s, Pennsylvania's rich forests provided natural material for the construction of more than 1,500 covered bridges across the state. The first covered bridge was built in 1805. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges looks at the earliest covered bridges as well as those that have survived modern progress. Images also show rare railroad covered bridges that have been saved from destruction over the years.