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America's Oldest Covered Bridge |
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Covered bridge continues waiting game in Haverhill
by Alex Nuti-de Biasi (Journal Opinion, Oct. 18, 2006)
HAVERHILL—The Haverhill Selectboard will likely vote next month on whether to accept a base bid for restoration of the Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge.
Built in 1829, the covered bridge spans the Ammonoosuc River between Woodsville and Bath. It is one of the oldest covered bridges in the country. The bridge is no longer open to traffic and it was bypassed in 1999.
Restoration plans for the bridge began several years ago, but the bulk of the work that is needed has yet to be realized.
At their regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 16, the selectboard heard from Sean James of Hoyle, Tanner, and Associates (HTA), the Manchester-based firm that specializes in structural engineering and design consultancy for municipal bridge projects throughout New England.
James reported that after bids, which came in over the town's budget for the project, were rejected in May, HTA received permission from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to negotiate with the low-bid contractor, Wright Construction, and reduce the costs of the project.
James said the negotiations looked at ways to reduce the scope of the project and modify the project to reduce costs. HTA also looked at negotiating a new insurance quote for the project and is considering reducing its own role in the construction phase of the contract.
The negotiations yielded a $85,000 reduction in estimated project cost.
vBut HTA and the towns of Bath and Haverhill, led by the Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge Committee, are still looking for assistance on the project. They are actively soliciting donations of materials and services. Such donations would also increase potential federal match grants.
The base bid that the selectboard will vote on next month, includes, among other things, fixing the arches and trusses as well as shoring up the structure.
© 2006 The Journal Opinion. All Rights Reserved.
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Reprinted from the March 11, 1998 issue of Journal Opinion.
It isn't exactly Bill Clinton's "bridge to the 21st Century." In fact, the Haverhill-Bath covered bridge--the oldest documented covered bridge remaining
in America--is more a bridge to the early 19th Century.
Residents and officials in the North Country towns of Haverhill and Bath have banded together to preserve the structure--approved in 1827, completed in 1829, and
entered on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1977--before the two-span bridge falls prey to vandals, deterioration, or the state's lack of interest. [MORE]
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National Media Spotlight! |
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The covered bridge made the national spotlight thanks to the work of Lee Kryger and othert members of the covered bridge committee. Among the media covering the bridge nationallly were NBC News (picture to the left shows producer Kim Bondy, reporter Rehemma Ellis, and covered bridge committee chair Lee Kryger), the Associated Press, and USA Today. These reports brought much needed attention to the plight of the bridge.
The bridge also received excellent local covereage as well, including the Journal Opinion, WYKR radio, The Courier, and The Northcountry News.
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Stamp Cancellation |
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The covered bridge was featured in a special U.S. Postal Service cancellation in 1997. Following is the press release about the event.
"America's Oldest Covered Bridge," which spans the Ammonoosuc River from Woodsville to Bath, will be honored this fall with a special two-day stamp cancellation. Scheduled for consecutive Saturdays, October 4th and 11th, the cancellation will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the historic bridge. [MORE--coming soon]
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Covered Bridge Committee Report |
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(Copied from the Annual Town Report)
…The Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge Committee's major fund raising effort, led by Lee Kryger, culminated in the year 2000 when $45,302.04 was turned over to the Town of Haverhill to create an expendable trust for restoration of the bridge. This privately raised money, together with a Federal Enhancement Grant of $200,000 and an additional $152,000 available from the State of New Hampshire in lieu of tearing down the bridge, provides approximately $400,000 to begin the restoration process. The first step is to commence the necessary engineering studies that will determine just what must be done to rehabilitate and restore the structure. Although the Town of Haverhill will administer the funds, both Haverhill and Bath will have equal voices in how the money shall be spent.
.... Now that fund raising no longer need be its major priority, the Committee has initiated several other projects. A request has been sent to the N.H. Department of Transportation to install brown "Covered Bridge #27" highway signs at several locations in the Woodsville area to direct visitors to our bridge. A letter to the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources is being drafted requesting installation of an historical marker at the bridge. Also under consideration are efforts to design a new bridge brochure, publish a saleable souvenir book, and apply for additional grants to aid in the restoration and upkeep of our national treasure.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Griswold, Co-Chair
Velma Ide, Co-Chair
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Great Links! |
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Be sure to check out all these links. First, for lots of old pictures of the covered bridge in particular and Woodsville in general, click here. These pictures are from the collections of Gary Chamberlin and James House.
For information on the Woodsville-Littleton Rail Trail, click here.
See other covered bridges of the White Mountains here.
Here's a fascinating site: The Woodsville You Might Remember. Click here.
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Covered Railroad Bridges in NH & VT |
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The following chart was found in a notebook my grandfather put together in the 1960s. I'm not sure how complete it was at that time, and I'm sure some of these bridges are now gone.
| LOCATION | RAILROAD |
STREAM | LNG. | DATE |
TYPE | REMARKS |
| 174 | East of Montpelier | Montpelier & Wells River |
Winooski River | 100 | 1904 |
Howe | 1 Span |
| 56 | Bennington, NH | B&M |
Contoocook River | 100 | 1877 |
Town-Pratt | 1 Span |
| 60 | Hillsboro, NH | B&M |
Contoocook River | 219 | 1903 |
Town-Pratt | 2-Spans, sidewalk |
| 59 | Goffstown, NH | B&M |
Piscataquog River | 117 | 1900 |
Town-Pratt | 1 Span, added laminated arch |
| 10 | Contoocook, NH | Claremont & Concord |
Contoocook River | 157 | 1889 |
Town-Pratt | 1 Span |
| 57 | East of Chandler, NH | Claremont & Concord |
Sugar River | 228 | 1906 |
Town-Pratt | 2 spans |
| 58 | West of Chandler, NH | Claremont & Concord |
Sugar River | 122 | 1905 |
Town-Pratt | 1-Span, added laminated arch |
| 175 | Est of Hardwick, VT | St. J & Lamoille County |
Lamoille | 98 | 1909 |
Town-Pratt | 1-Span |
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