Skip to main content

Squam River Covered Bridge - New Hampshire

Image
By

 


The Squam River Covered Bridge (or the Squam Covered Bridge) is located where the Little Squam Lake meets the Squam River in Ashland, New Hampshire. It is a 61 foot bridge that was constructed in 1990 using a Town lattice truss design by the famed covered bridge builders Milton Graton & Son, also of Ashland, New Hampshire. The bridge also features a walkway on the Little Squam Lake side of the bridge, so people who are passing by can admire the scenery of the nearby lake.

The covered bridge replaces a steel and concrete bridge that had been condemned by the State of New Hampshire on River Street in Ashland. After the condemnation, the state proposed building a two lane steel and concrete bridge for this site. However, the citizens of Ashland balked at this proposal, deciding that they would prefer a one lane covered bridge built in its place. At the 1988 town meeting in Ashland, the town voted to place $35,000 in a fund earmarked for building a new covered bridge. The balance of funds needed for this project were raised by the Squam River Covered Bridge Committee of the Ashland Historical Society, who still hold the funds today which can be used for necessary repairs for the bridge. Additional funds for the initial bridge construction were raised through special events such as bake sales and dinners, but the bulk of the money came from direct contributions from over 500 donors.

The Squam River Covered Bridge fits seamlessly into the landscape. Whether you are taking a boat out onto Little Squam Lake, or taking a dip in the lake at the nearby beach, the covered bridge serves as a nice reminder of New Hampshire's heritage. While the covered bridge is newer and not yet ready to be placed on any historical registers, it has become a classic in its own right. I had the chance to check out the covered bridge in Ashland on a glorious summer morning and got to enjoy what the bridge has to offer.


A nice side profile of the bridge, looking west.

Looking northbound into the bridge's portal. As you can see, there is an attached walkway that is separated from the main lane of traffic.

A nice plaque dedicated to a townsperson who dreamed of a covered bridge here.

The nearby beach on Little Squam Lake.

Boats and covered bridges dot the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Where the Little Squam Lake meets the Squam River. You can see this view from the bridge walkway.


How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
New Hampshire Covered Bridges - Squam Bridge
Squam Lake Inn - Discover the Covered Bridges of New Hampshire
NHTourGuide.com - Squam Covered Bridge Ashland NH
Bridgehunter.com - Squam River Covered Bridge 29-05-112
Wanderlust Family Adventure - Squam River Covered Bridge - Ashland, New Hampshire
Laconia Daily Sun - Donations sought by Ashland Historical Society for Squam River Covered Bridge repairs

Labels:
Location: Squam River Covered Bridge, River St, Ashland, NH 03217, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

By
Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor.   Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old Dunlap Road (former California State Route 180 in Yokuts Valley)

By
When California State Route 180 was commissioned in August 1934 the alignment in took in Sierra Nevada range was very different than from today.  The original highway alignment from Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) to east Grant Grove (then part of General Grant National Park) originally followed what is now Ruth Hill Road, Dunlap Road, Pinehurst Road (modern California State Route 245), Dark Canyon Road (partially now Forest Road 14S45).  After funding fell through for the planned Kings Canyon Road the was corridor eventually picked up as a 30-mile-long cooperative project between the Division of Highways and Federal Government.  Much of current alignment of California State Route 180 bypassing Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) and Dunlap was complete by 1941.  The post-1941 alignment of California State Route 180 in Squaw Valley was shifted onto what was once Dunlap Road in Squaw Valley.  This alignment itself was later bypassed by modern California State Route...
Post a Comment
Read more