Skip to main content

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

Image
By

 


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

Labels

Labels:
Location: 16 Russell Hill Rd, Wilton, NH 03086, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

By
Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more