Skip to main content

Thompson Covered Bridge - West Swanzey, New Hampshire

 


Also known as the West Swanzey Covered Bridge, the Thompson Covered Bridge connects the two halves of West Swanzey, New Hampshire over the Ashuelot River. The covered bridge was originally built in 1832 by Zadoc Taft for the grand sum of $523.27, which might seem like chump change by today's standards, but that was a nice payout in 1832. Utilizing a through truss design with lattice work, the bridge has two spans as it goes 151 feet across the river. The Thompson Covered Bridge is listed in the World Guide of Covered Bridges (WGCB) as number 29-03-04, is also listed as New Hampshire Covered Bridge # 5 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge has its home next to a mill of some sort, which is a monument to New England's industrial history. There is also a covered sidewalk on the north side of the bridge, which allows pedestrian traffic to enjoy the bridge without dodging cars.

By the time the 1970s rolled around, it was a whole new world of change and the covered bridge was showing its age after years of wear and tear. In 1973, when the bridge was posted for a six ton load limit, school buses were allowed to cross the bridge, but only if empty. I have come across similar factoids from other covered bridges I've researched, so maybe that was the solution at the time. When a bus full of students came to the bridge, the students would get off the bus, walk across the bridge, and board the bus again on the other side. In 1976, a new concrete and steel bridge was built nearby to carry heavy vehicles, just south of the covered bridge, at a cost of $376,914.61. The covered bridge was closed to vehicular traffic since the fall of 1990 after a report by state inspectors indicated the bridge was unsafe, and as a result, a committee was quickly formed in 1990 to develop proposals for the rehabilitation of the town's covered bridges. The Thompson Covered Bridge was ultimately reconstructed in 1993, so future generations can enjoy this local treasure.












How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Bridgehunter.com - Thompson Covered Bridge 29-03-04
NHTourGuide.com - Thompson Covered Bridge West Swanzey
New Hampshire Bridges - West Swanzey Bridge
Life, on a Bridged - Thompson Covered Bridge, West Swanzey, NH 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 1915-era Teilman Bridge (the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge in California)

The Teilman Bridge is a semi-abandoned structure over Fresno Slough west of Burrell siding near the intersection of Elkhorn Avenue and Elkhorn Grade.  This structure is the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge constructed in California and was designed by Ingvart Teilman.  Teilman's Bridge would open in late 1915 when the Elkhorn Grade was the primary road between Fresno and Coalinga.  The structure would be replaced in 1991 but was left standing as it carries pipelines over Fresno Slough.  Part 1; the history of the Teilman Bridge In the early Twentieth Century the most direct highway between Fresno and Coalinga followed the Elkhorn Grade.  The Elkhorn Grade began at Fresno Slough a short distance west of Burrell siding.  From Fresno Slough the Elkhorn Grade followed a generally southwestern course through San Joaquin Valley into the Kettleman Hills towards Coalinga.   The Elkhorn Grade can be seen on the  1914 C.F. Weber map of Fresno Coun...

The Dummy Lights of New York

  A relic of the early days of motoring, dummy lights were traffic lights  that  were  placed  in the middle of a street intersection. In those early days, traffic shuffled through busy intersections with the help of a police officer who stood on top of a pedestal. As technology improved and electric traffic signals became commonplace, they were also  originally  positioned on a platform at the center of the intersection. Those traffic signals became known as  " dummy lights "  and were common until  traffic lights were moved  onto wires and poles that crossed above the intersection.  In New York State, only a handful of these dummy lights exist. The dummy lights  are found  in the Hudson Valley towns of Beacon and Croton-on-Hudson, plus there is an ongoing tug of war in Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley, where their dummy light has been knocked down and replaced a few times. The dummy light in Canajoharie is currently...

Prunedale Road (Monterey County)

Prunedale Road is a short 2.6-mile-long frontage corridor of US Route 101 in the namesake Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Prior to 1932 US Route 101 bypassed Prunedale in favor of the San Juan Grade to the east.  Prunedale Road along with nearby Moro Road served as an alternative connecting highway between Salinas and San Juan Bautista.  Following the realignment of US Route 101 onto the Prunedale Cutoff the former through route along Prunedale Road would be rendered as a western frontage.   Part 1; the history of Prunedale Road Prunedale Road is located in and is named after the Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Said community was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley.  Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers.  The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908.  Early agricu...