Skip to main content

Babb's Covered Bridge - Maine

Image
By


 
The Babb's Covered Bridge is one of a handful of covered bridges remaining throughout the State of Maine. The Babb's Bridge was built in 1976 to connect the towns of Windham and Gorham over the Presumpscot River and replaced a covered bridge located at the same crossing along Hurricane Road. Built using a Queenpost truss design, the covered bridge is 79 feet long and was reconstructed using historically authentic techniques to replicate the old bridge as much as possible. Plus it is one of a kind, being the only covered bridge in Maine built with a Queenpost truss.

The original Babb's Covered Bridge was likely built in 1843, replacing former bridges taken out by a hurricane in 1767 and its replacement that had washed out during a flood in 1843. Other sources point out that the covered bridge was built in 1864 instead. But it is known that Babb's Bridge was named for a local family who lived in nearby Gorham, Maine. 

Tragedy struck on May 7, 1973, when the original Babb’s Bridge was lost to an act of arson. An inexpensive metal bridge took its place to cross the river until 1976 when the current bridge was constructed as a replica of the original bridge. This was accomplished in large part due to the efforts of the Windham and Gorham historical societies along with a volunteer effort that helped raise both awareness and thousands of dollars towards the rebuilding project, with the new bridge having been dedicated with much fanfare on July 4, 1976. It was a great way to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States.

By 2014, the bridge had fallen into disrepair, laden with graffiti, sideboards removed, and holes cut into the roof so people could use the bridge to jump into the Presumpscot River below. In 2015, the Babb's Covered Bridge had to be closed temporarily due to damage that was caused by a snowplow. As a result of the damages to the bridge along with concerns of nearby residents, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) called for a rehabilitation of the bridge at a cost of over $160,000, respecting the bridge's original design and function. While MaineDOT continues to maintain the bridge, a lack of manpower and funds makes them reluctant to respond to fixes that result from vandalism. A local group called Friends of Babb's Bridge was also created to provide increased security and awareness around the bridge

In a brazen, yet somehow fitting attempt to see the Babb's Covered Bridge in person, I visited on the same day that Tropical Storm Lee was aiming towards the nearby Gulf of Maine. It was quite windy, not quite at hurricane or even tropical storm force winds, but the covered bridge stood tall in the face of the gusty winds passing through southern Maine.




How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Labels:
Location: Babb's Covered Bridge, Hurricane Rd, Gorham, ME 04038, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more