Covered Bridges in Windham County
Southern Vermont’s Historic Covered Bridges
Vermont is home to 100 covered bridges dating back to 1820, and many of these beautiful structures can be found right here in Windham County. Visiting Vermont’s covered bridges is sure to take you off the well-traveled highways and into the countryside. Because Vermont’s highways tend to follow rivers and streams, covered bridges are frequently on a side road, not far from the major thoroughfare. Quite a few of them harbor swimming holes adjacent to the bridge.
Creamery Covered Bridge
Guilford Street, Brattleboro
Located 1.5 miles from downtown Brattleboro
Built in 1879 over Whetstone Brook, the bridge is 80 feet long and 19 feet wide. The slate roof replaced the original wooden shingles around 1917, and the sidewalk was added around the same time. Built in the Town’s Lattice Truss design, the bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
West Dummerston Covered Bridge
Route 30, Dummerston, VT
Located 7 miles from Brattleboro
The West Dummerston Covered Bridge crosses over the West River. The two span Town’s Lattice Truss bridge was built in 1872. At 271 feet long and 22 feet wide, it is the longest still operational covered bridge in Vermont!
The Scott Bridge
Route 30, Townshend, VT
Located 19 miles from Brattleboro
The Scott Bridge is a three span structure in the town of Townshend. One span is town lattice truss with an arch; the next two spans are kingposts trusses with steel rods added for strength. The total length is 276 feet. Built by Harrison Chamberlin in 1870, the bridge carries Back Side Road over the West River.
Williamsville Covered Bridge
Dover Road, Newfane, VT
Located 12 miles from Brattleboro
Built in the 1870s, The Williamsville Covered Bridge is considered to be the oldest covered bridge in Windham County. As originally designed, the bridge’s 118-foot town lattice truss proved to be structurally deficient against larger, modern vehicles, and ultimately, the bridge was reconstructed in 2010. Historic preservation and accuracy was paramount in this project, and the reconstructed bridge standing today differs only slightly from what engineers and historians believe was the original truss design.
Green River Covered Bridge
Jacksonville Stage Road, Guilford, VT
Located 8 miles from Brattleboro
Built in the 1870s by Marcus Worde, the 104-foot covered bridge crosses the Green River in Guilford. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. the Green River Covered Bridge was built to replace an earlier bridge that was lost in the 1869 flood. Adjacent to the bridge is the historic Green River Timber Crib Dam. The dam was built in the early 1800’s and pre-dates the bridge by almost 60 years.
Kidder Hill Covered Bridge
Kidder Hill Road, Grafton, VT
Located 19 miles from Brattleboro
The Kidder Covered Bridge is located just half a mile from the center of Grafton Village. Among the covered bridges of Windham County, it is the shortest at just 66 feet long and the only example of queen-post truss construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Hall Covered Bridge
Hall Bridge Road, Rockingham, VT
Located 20 miles from Brattleboro
The Hall Covered Bridge is a 120-foot, single-span lattice truss bridge located in southern Rockingham. The original bridge was built in 1867 by Sanford Granger. In 1980, the original bridge was destroyed by an overweight truck, and a replica was rebuilt using traditional design and methods (including the use of oxen to move the finished bridge into place!).
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Vermont is home to 100 covered bridges, dating as far back as 1820 (the original Pulp Mill Bridge in Middlebury, VT).
To find a list of the covered bridges in Vermont click here.