West Dummerston Covered Bridge

Most covered bridges in Vermont or anywhere else in the United States aren't terribly long. Most are under 120 feet. The West Dummerston Covered Bridge is depending on the source anywhere from 267, 271 or 280 feet in length. It is a two span covered bridge that crosses the West River in the Town of Dummerston.

The bridge is the longest covered bridge that is entirely within the state of Vermont. The Cornish-Windsor bridge is longer at 449 feet but is shared by both Vermont and the State of New Hampshire. The West Dummerston Bridge was built in 1872 and is of the town lattice truss design. The bridge is actually the fourth crossing of the West River at or near this site. Three prior bridges were built prior to the the 1872 bridge and all were washed away by floods. (1) The bridge was built by Celeb B. Lamson and is the only surviving bridge that he had built. (2) The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1993 and only reopened after an extensive rehabilitation was completed in 1998. (1) The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The West Dummerston is easily accessible and often photographed. There are a handful of spots along Vermont 30 to take photos of this bridge. The bridge is also a popular spot for fishing or swimming in the West River. Additionally, the bridge seems to be an inspiration point for many artists as painters or even musicians find the tranquility of this location great to practice or even perform their talents.

Bridge Specs:

Number: 45-13-02
Design: Town Lattice
Length: 280 feet
Built: 1872
Crosses: West River

Sources & Links:

(1) West Dummerston Covered Bridge ---ctriverbyways.org
(2) West Dummerston Covered Bridge ---Connecticut River Joint Commission
Dummerston Covered Bridge ---Covered Bridge Site
West Dummerston Covered Bridge ---InnBrattleboro.com

Comments

US Route 199

I was planning on driving US Route 199 for the third time this weekend. However "external factors" have pushed my visit to US Route 199 back for the time being. While I can't do a driving log for US Route 199 at the moment I can still write about it's history.

This blog will be slightly different from the usual flair for Gribblenation. Generally I have a stockpile of my own road photos from which to draw from. In the case of US Route 199 I was far more focused on hiking photos during my first two visits in 2014 and 2016 than the actual highway. At some point I will add a series of modern driving log photos but for the time being I will draw from numerous other sources to illustrate US Route 199.

Part 1; the History of US Route 199

Present US Route 199 is a 80.05 mile highway which connects US Route 101 in Crescent City of Del Norte, California northeast to Interstate 5 in Grants Pass of Josephine County, Oregon. US Route 199 is one of the original US Routes and …

Trans-Sierra Highways; California State Route 108 over Sonora Pass

In the fall of 2016 and late summer of 2020 I took a series of drives over mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Both traps culminated by way of crossing over the Sierra Nevada Mountains westbound by way of the 9,624 foot Sonora Pass on California State Route 108.
California State Route 108 ("CA 108") is a 99 mile east/west State Highway which originates at US Route 395 in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. CA 108 crosses the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains by way of the 9,624 foot Sonora Pass and terminates at CA 99 co-signed with CA 132 in downtown Modesto. CA 108 has a 21 mile unconstructed segment which would extend it to Interstate 5 near Crow's Landing if completed.
Part 1; the history of Sonora Pass and California State Route 108Much of the early history of Sonora Pass is described by way of two informational plaques at the actual Pass. The first documented crossing of Sonora Pass was in October of 1841 by way of a course slightly due nor…

The Tioga Pass Road

Last Summer the Tioga Pass Road over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Yosemite National Park opened late due to the heavy snow pack from the previous winter. Approaching the start of July the Park Service finally had cleared the road to Tioga Pass. That being the case I headed up shortly after the 4th of July holiday during a lull in the tourist season.

The Tioga Pass Road runs from the Big Oak Flat Road at Crane Flat east to US Route 395 ("US 395"). The Tioga Pass Road is largely within the boundary of Yosemite National Park but is maintained by Caltrans as California State Route 120 ("CA 120") east of the Tioga Pass entry station to US 395. The National Park Service maintained portion of the Tioga Pass Road serve as a implied connection between the two segments of CA 120. The Tioga Pass Road is the highway mountain pass in California reaching Tioga Pass at 9,945 feet above sea level.

Part 1; the history of the Tioga Pass Road

Tioga Pass first obtained notewort…

Gribblenation

Search This Blog