Skip to main content

Sunday River Covered Bridge - Newry, Maine

 


Located alongside the Sunday River Road in Newry, Maine, the Sunday River Covered Bridge spans 87 feet over the Sunday River. Also known as the Artist's Bridge, the Sunday River Covered Bridge was built by Hiram York in 1872 and a Paddleford through truss design was used for its construction. Now only open for pedestrian access, the last vehicle to cross the bridge was in 1958 when a parallel modern span was built alongside the covered bridge. While the bridge no longer serves traffic, it is still a good place for recreation, artistry and curiosity.

The Sunday River Covered Bridge is not the first bridge to be located at this spot in Newry. The first Sunday River Bridge was built in 1811, but was subject to frequent washouts, including a major one in 1869. When that bridge was rebuilt the following year, a windstorm destroyed the bridge again eight months later. Finding it was necessary to replace the bridge, the town of Newry voted on the construction of a covered bridge and selected Hiram York as its builder. With attention to the bridge's stability, York built the covered bridge using the Paddleford Truss construction that had become common among covered bridges in northern New England. The bridge was restored at the same time it was bypassed by the new bridge just downstream. The truss work of the bridge remains largely original, while the floorboards have been replaced over time.

So you may be wondering why the Sunday River Covered Bridge is also known as the Artist's Bridge. The covered bridge maintains a reputation as being the most photographed and painted of the historic covered bridges found across Maine. It has also been suggested that the name of Artist's Bridge came about because the artist John Enneking was observed working by the bridge on many days, painting in plein air. Enneking was an early American impressionist painter and he maintained a home in Newry. Many of his works featured landscape scenes of northern New England.

Today, the Sunday River Covered Bridge provides a scenic spot to peacefully enjoy the mountains of western Maine. After all, the Sunday River makes its way downstream from the Mahoosuc Range on its way to the Androscoggin River. You may find someone fishing in the river during your visit, or you may opt to detour to the bridge after a day of skiing at the nearby Sunday River ski resort. In all, I rather enjoyed my visit to this bridge.

The Sunday River Covered Bridge makes for a good fishing spot.

A look inside the covered bridge.

Sunday River.


How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Maine Department of Transportation - Sunday River Bridge (Artist's Covered Bridge), Newry, Maine
Society of Architectural Historians - Sunday River Covered Bridge
Bridgehunter.com - Artist's Bridge 19-09-04
Atlas Obscura - Artist's Bridge
Scenic USA - Maine - Sunday River Bridge
Maine Magazine - Beloved by Artists

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tulare Lake returns

During the winter of 2023 California experienced one of the wettest seasons in recent decades.  Enough snow and water were deposited into the Sierra Nevada Mountains that the runoff was enough to partially reform Tulare Lake within San Joaquin Valley.  Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River by surface area.  Tulare Lake has been largely dried for the past century due to irrigation divisions and upstream impoundments.  This blog will examine the history of Tulare Lake and its recent return.  Pictured as the blog cover is Tulare Lake from 19th Avenue in Kings County during early May 2023.  Tulare Lake can be seen near its maximum extent below on the 1876 P.Y. Baker Map of Tulare County .   Part 1; the history of Tulare Lake Tulare Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Corcoran.  Lake Corcoran once covered much of the entire Central Valley due to being it being located at a in natural low point from where mountain run-off would accumulate.  Lake Corcoran is thou

Former US Route 101 through Sargent

  Sargent is a ghost town and siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad located in southern Santa Clara County.  The original alignment of US Route 101 was aligned through Sargent via what is now known as Old Monterey Road.  Sargent was bypassed gradually due to shifts of the alignment of US Route 101 which occurred during 1941 and 1950.  Pictured as the blog cover is a view on Old Monterey Road which is now no longer accessible to the general public.  Below is a scan of the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Clara County which depicts the original alignment US Route 101 through Sargent.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Sargent Sargent lies on land which was once part of Rancho Juristac.  During 1856 James P. Sargent purchased Rancho Juristac and plotted what was known as Sargent Ranch.  By 1869 the Southern Pacific Railroad coast line reached the relocated town site of Gilroy.  The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line would be constructed through Chittenden Pass by 1871 whic

California State Route 60/Former US Route 60/70 through the Moreno Valley Badlands west to Riverside

This past month I drove California State Route 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands westward towards the City of Riverside.  CA 60 through the Moreno Valley Badlands was once part of the corridors of US Route 60 and US Route 70. The present route of CA 60 is a 70 mile (76 counting multiplex) slice of former US 60 between downtown Los Angeles east to I-10 near Beaumont.  The vast majority of CA 60 aside from a small section in the Moreno Valley Badlands is presently a freeway grade. For me CA 60 holds some personal history as it was the route I used most frequently accessing work sites in the Inland Empire circa 2011-2013.  Despite what many others probably would say I always really enjoyed the Moreno Valley Badlands portion of CA 60.  Considering I frequently worked on US 60 through Arizona and New Mexico the route holds even more appeal.  I even have a CA 60 shield hanging up in my garage. Part 1; History of Roadways in the Moreno Valley Badlands CA 60 between B