Skip to main content

Chiselville Covered Bridge - Sunderland, Vermont

 


Also known as the East Arlington Covered Bridge due to its proximity to Vermont's original capital in Arlington, the Chiselville Covered Bridge was built in 1870 and spans over the Roaring Branch of the Batten Kill on Sunderland Hill Road in the Town of Sunderland, Vermont. The name of Chiselville comes from a chisel factory that was once situated in the small village that is also called Chiselville. The covered bridge was built by Daniel Oatman at a cost of $2,307.31 and he used a Town lattice truss design for the bridge's construction.

One thing that you'll notice about this 117 foot long covered bridge is that it sits very high above the river below. The bridge is about 40 feet above the Roaring Branch, lending to an alternative name as the High Bridge. This clearance above the river came in very useful during the devastating floods of November 1927, which caused much damage to covered bridges across Vermont. However, the Chiselville Covered Bridge stayed high and dry. But like many covered bridges, this bridge eventually faced some damage. In 1971, the bridge was severely damaged when two loaded gravel trucks tried to cross at the same time, causing the need for the bridge to be repaired. Supporting steel girders and a center pier were added in 1973 during the bridge's rehabilitation.

Fans of the 1987 movie "Baby Boom" may recall seeing the Chiselville Covered Bridge while watching the film. The bridge was featured in the scene when Diane Keaton’s character leaves New York to move to fictional Hadleyville, Vermont with her daughter for a more peaceful lifestyle. Today, all sorts of people can enjoy the Chiselville Covered Bridge, whether they are taking a motorcycle along scenic back roads or exploring the many covered bridges that Bennington County has to offer between and around its two shire towns.

The Town lattice work inside the covered bridge.

The Chiselville Bridge accommodates one lane of traffic at a time and features a classic sign advertising not to drive faster than a walk on this bridge, or you'll face a fine of $1.

The Chiselville Covered Bridge sits high above the Roaring Branch.


How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Vermont Covered Bridge Society - Chiselville Covered Bridge
Happy Vermont - Chiselville Covered Bridge in Sunderland
VermontBeginsHere.com - Covered Bridges of Bennington County
Manchester Vermont - Covered Bridges
Bridgehunter.com - Chiselville Covered Bridge 45-02-05
The Travels of Tug 44 - Chiselville Covered Bridge
Back of the Bike Life - Chiselville Covered Bridge-Sunderland, Vermont

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 1915-era Teilman Bridge (the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge in California)

The Teilman Bridge is a semi-abandoned structure over Fresno Slough west of Burrell siding near the intersection of Elkhorn Avenue and Elkhorn Grade.  This structure is the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge constructed in California and was designed by Ingvart Teilman.  Teilman's Bridge would open in late 1915 when the Elkhorn Grade was the primary road between Fresno and Coalinga.  The structure would be replaced in 1991 but was left standing as it carries pipelines over Fresno Slough.  Part 1; the history of the Teilman Bridge In the early Twentieth Century the most direct highway between Fresno and Coalinga followed the Elkhorn Grade.  The Elkhorn Grade began at Fresno Slough a short distance west of Burrell siding.  From Fresno Slough the Elkhorn Grade followed a generally southwestern course through San Joaquin Valley into the Kettleman Hills towards Coalinga.   The Elkhorn Grade can be seen on the  1914 C.F. Weber map of Fresno Coun...

The Dummy Lights of New York

  A relic of the early days of motoring, dummy lights were traffic lights  that  were  placed  in the middle of a street intersection. In those early days, traffic shuffled through busy intersections with the help of a police officer who stood on top of a pedestal. As technology improved and electric traffic signals became commonplace, they were also  originally  positioned on a platform at the center of the intersection. Those traffic signals became known as  " dummy lights "  and were common until  traffic lights were moved  onto wires and poles that crossed above the intersection.  In New York State, only a handful of these dummy lights exist. The dummy lights  are found  in the Hudson Valley towns of Beacon and Croton-on-Hudson, plus there is an ongoing tug of war in Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley, where their dummy light has been knocked down and replaced a few times. The dummy light in Canajoharie is currently...

Prunedale Road (Monterey County)

Prunedale Road is a short 2.6-mile-long frontage corridor of US Route 101 in the namesake Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Prior to 1932 US Route 101 bypassed Prunedale in favor of the San Juan Grade to the east.  Prunedale Road along with nearby Moro Road served as an alternative connecting highway between Salinas and San Juan Bautista.  Following the realignment of US Route 101 onto the Prunedale Cutoff the former through route along Prunedale Road would be rendered as a western frontage.   Part 1; the history of Prunedale Road Prunedale Road is located in and is named after the Monterey County community of Prunedale.  Said community was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley.  Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers.  The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908.  Early agricu...