Travel New England: Bardwell's Ferry Bridge

In October 2006, I took a roadtrip through Western Massachusetts. On my way back home towards Albany, I had stopped at a covered bridge near Conway to take some photos and started up a conversation with an artist that was doing a painting of a church across the street. I told him about my trip and what I had seen that day. The gentleman then told me of a historic bridge over the Deerfield River that was nearby. He told me that I needed to take a few backroads but it was worth the drive.

He was correct. At the bottom of a quiet country road was the Bardwell's Ferry Bridge. A historic lenticular truss bridge that was built in 1882 and replaced a wooden bridge that once crossed here. The 230 foot long pin connected bridge was a beautiful sight mixed in with all the colors of fall.

The largest span of the bridge is just under 193 feet and from there are magnificent views of the Deerfield River and of a Springfield Terminal rail bridge.

The bridge was built the Corrugated Metal Company which was a predecessor of the Berlin Iron Company. The bridge is one of the few remaining bridges of this style built by the East Berlin, Connecticut company. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1995 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Bardwell's Ferry is also a popular launch spot for kayakers and other paddle boats. This unplanned detour is one of my fondest memories of my time living in the Northeast. I easily could have stayed here for hours enjoying the soothing sounds of the Deerfield River, the smells of the leaves, and just the overall peaceful setting. I hope to get back here again someday.

All photos taken by post author - October 2006.

Comments

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...

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 ...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog