Russell Hill Bridge (Livermore Bridge)

Russell Hill Bridge (Livermore Bridge) - Wilton, New Hampshire

The Russell Hill Bridge (also known as the Livermore Bridge) in Wilton, New Hampshire is almost certainly one of its kind. This bridge is the only known example of a timber, half through, pony lattice truss in New Hampshire and possibly in all of North America. Visible as you pass by on NH 101 west of Wilton, the wooden boxed pony truss bridge of a Town lattice design spans over Blood Brook on an old alignment of Russell Hill Road.

It could be say that the wooden box design of this pony truss bridge was to weatherize the bridge. Plus, with the large number of covered bridges in New Hampshire, it was natural to use wood and timber in bridge construction. However, since the bridge is still open, it was still subject to the elements of nature, which may be the reason why there are not many examples left, and why the Russell Hill Bridge is a lone surviving example of this bridge design.

Built in 1937, the 52 foot long Russell Hill Bridge is not the first bridge to be located at this spot. There is evidence which suggests that there was a bridge at this location as far back as the middle of the 18th Century. However, by the middle of the 19th Century, that bridge was washed out and was replaced with a boxed pony truss style wooden bridge, similar in structure and scope to a covered bridge. The bridge's location was near a sawmill and dam just upstream on Blood Brook, with the original builder of the sawmill being Reverend Jonathan Livermore, which is where the bridge's alternative namesake comes from. This was also the site of a crossroads from the days of yore between Wilton Center to the east, New Ipswich to the south and Greenville to the southwest.

By 1937, it was time to rebuild the bridge. Fred Tuttle and Nehe Pajanen were paid $3278.11 and $224.05 for labor and materials to construct a new bridge over Blood Brook. Fred Tuttle was an experienced carpenter with a portfolio of having built many homes in New Hampshire, but the extent of his bridge building experience is unknown. Construction for the Russell Hill Bridge used new materials, but followed the design of the the bridge built in the 19th Century. At the time, there were other examples of wooden boxed pony truss bridges to follow, as the Boston and Maine Railroad used this design for a few of their bridges in New Hampshire. But, further research may show that this bridge is a rare survivor of a once common type or a rare survivor of a rare variant of a common type of bridge.

While the Russell Hill Bridge has been bypassed in favor of a modern bridge downstream and to the east, the bridge remains as a testament to New Hampshire's bridge construction history. The Russell Hill Bridge can be visited today, whether you park alongside NH 101 (but be careful) or follow the old alignment of Russell Hill Road to its end. Or you can virtually visit with the photos shown below.

Side profile of the bridge.

Some remaining overlaying pavement remains on the bridge.

Blood Brook.

The bridge no longer carries vehicular traffic.

Winter time view of the bridge.

Bridge plaque from the Wilton Heritage Commission explaining the history of the Russell Hill Bridge.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
The Bridgewright Blog - Numbers as Great as They Now are Few
Historic Structures - Livermore Truss Bridge, Wilton New Hampshire
Bridgehunter.com - Russell Hill Road Bridge 29-06-P1
Library of Congress - Livermore Bridge, Spanning Blood Brook at Russell Hill Road, Wilton, Hillsborough County, NH

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley. To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker. Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa. The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language. The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246. CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County. CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward. South of CA 127 ...

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog