Skip to main content

Cilleyville Covered Bridge (Bog Covered Bridge) - New Hampshire

Image
By

 


Also known as the Bog Covered Bridge, the Cilleyville Covered Bridge spans 53 feet over the Pleasant Brook in the Cilleyville area of Andover, New Hampshire. Built in 1887 using a Town lattice truss design that was popular with covered bridge construction in New Hampshire, the bridge was built by a local carpenter by the name of Prentice C. Atwood at the cost of $522.63. He was assisted with the bridge's construction by Al Emerson and Charles Wilson. Local legends suggest that during the construction, Emerson and Wilson became upset with Atwood and cut some of the bridge timbers short, causing the bridge to tilt. However, engineers have suggested that the tilt is caused by the very nature of the Town lattice truss design.

The Cilleyville Covered Bridge was the last covered bridge, and possibly the shortest covered bridge built in Andover. The bridge was bypassed in 1959 when a new alignment of NH 11 was built and the town decided to preserve the bridge, restricting it to foot traffic. Located in the Cilleyville section of Andover, it was originally known as Bog Covered Bridge. The name lends to the bridge's location, on what was then known as Bog Road, which went towards the nearby Bog Pond. There was also another Cilleyville Covered Bridge nearby, which spanned the Blackwater River. After that bridge was torn down in 1908, the original Bog Covered Bridge became known as the Cilleyville Covered Bridge.

As with most historic covered bridges, work has been done to repair the bridge from the wear and tear that takes place throughout the ages. The bridge's west abutment was rebuilt with cement mortar after the Hurricane of 1938 caused much flooding throughout New England. The bridge's roof was reshingled in 1962 at a cost of $600. On March 9, 1982 the roof caved in from excessive snow load. This led to the town of Andover repairing the roof in July 1982 at the cost of $3,400. Further restorations to the bridge took place in 2003 with assistance of the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program.

The bridge was the model for the Shattuck murals of typical New Hampshire scenes which were once located in the New Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire. Only two covered bridges remain in Andover today, the Cilleyville Covered Bridge and the Keniston Covered Bridge. Today, you can visit the Cilleyville Covered Bridge for quiet, passive recreation. While you admire your surroundings and this historic covered bridge, there is a picnic table located inside of the bridge so you can enjoy a nice lunch or a snack. I visited the covered bridge as winter was starting to lose its grip to the spring and enjoyed the few minutes that I got to spend with the Cilleyville Covered Bridge.









How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
New Hampshire Bridges - Cilleyville Bridge
NHTourGuide.com - Cilleyville Covered Bridge Andover NH
Bridgehunter.com - Cilleyville Covered Bridge 29-07-01
The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma - July 22, 2020 – Cilleyville Covered Bridge/Bog Bridge – New Hampshire
United States Department of the Interior - National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
Labels:
Location: Cilleyville Covered Bridge, 9 Johnson Ln, Andover, NH 03216, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more