Silk Covered Bridge

The Silk Covered Bridge is a covered bridge, carrying Silk Road across the Walloomsac River between downtown Bennington, Vermont and the village of North Bennington. A Town lattice truss bridge, it was built in 1840, and is one of three covered bridges across the river in fairly close proximity. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]

Silk Covered Bridge
Bridge in October, 2020
Nearest cityBennington, Vermont
Coordinates42°54′34″N 73°13′33″W
Built1840
NRHP reference No.73000190[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 28, 1973

Description

The Silk Covered Bridge is located roughly midway between downtown Bennington and North Bennington, on Silk Road, which connects Vermont Route 67A and Vermont Route 279. The bridge has a relatively rural setting. It is oriented north-south across the west-flowing Walloomsac River. Its northern abutment is original stone slab, which has been faced in concrete, while the southern abutment is a reconstructed concrete structure. The bridge is a Town lattice truss, 88 feet (27 m) long, with a single-lane roadway 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. The sides of the bridge are clad in vertical boards, as are the insides of the portals, while the outside portal ends are finished in flush horizontal boards. In the center part of the bridge, the boards do not rise the full height of the truss.[2]

History

The bridge was probably built in 1840 by Benjamin Sears, who was from a family of well-known bridge builders in the region. The family is also credited with construction of the Paper Mill Village Bridge (1889), downriver a short way from this bridge; the Burt Henry Covered Bridge is also nearby, the three bridges all on a 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of the river.[2]

On August 28, 2011 the Silk bridge was damaged by flood waters as a result of Hurricane Irene. The bridge was repaired and reopened.[3]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Silk Covered Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  3. Kane, Trish. "Video clips and news on covered bridge damage due to Hurricane Irene". Vermont Covered Bridges Society website. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
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