22-577: Ware–Hardwick Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge spanning the Ware River on Old Gilbertville Road and Bridge Street in Ware and the village of Gilbertville within Hardwick, Massachusetts . It is one of a small number of surviving 19th-century covered bridges in the state. The bridge was built in 1886, extensively rebuilt in 1986–1987, and was closed in 2002 due to structural issues and
44-518: A $ 1.9 million reconstruction and restoration, and no longer has a weight limit. Wood taken from the bridge was divided between the towns; the Ware Historical Commission planned to use Ware's share of the wood to recreate other historic buildings. Covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber- truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of
66-414: A gabled metal roof. The siding does not fully cover the sides, leaving a strip exposed for light, and extends partway inside each portal. The bridge is about 137 feet (42 m) long and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, carrying a single lane of traffic. The bridge was built in 1886, and is managed by a joint committee of the two towns. It is one of a small number of 19th-century covered bridges that remain in
88-678: A limited carrying capacity. The bridge reopened in October 2010 and no longer has a weight limit according to MassDOT. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Ware-Hardwick Bridge is located in the village of Gilbertville , a 19th-century industrial village on the Ware River in southern Hardwick and northern Ware. It is a single-span lattice truss in a style patented by architect Ithiel Town , with its exterior clad in vertical board siding and topped by
110-767: A mile in length, but was destroyed by ice and flooding in 1832. The longest, historical covered bridges remaining in the United States are the Cornish–Windsor Bridge , spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont, and Medora Bridge , spanning the East Fork of the White River in Indiana. Both lay some claim to the superlative depending upon how the length is measured. In
132-413: Is a very well preserved example of a Whipple Bowstring Arch Truss . Constructed by S. DeGraff of Syracuse, New York, 1867–69, it is still in daily use, with no posted weight limits. Due to the sleek appearance, many users think it is a modern bridge. (The Delaware Turnpike once ran through both neighborhoods until 1929 with the construction of a new much higher, longer, and wider Delaware Avenue Bridge over
154-676: The 1820s. Extant bridges from that decade include New York 's Hyde Hall Bridge and Pennsylvania 's Hassenplug Bridge , both built in 1825, and the Haverhill–Bath Covered Bridge and the Roberts Covered Bridge , in New Hampshire and Ohio respectively, both built in 1829. The longest covered bridge ever built was constructed in 1814 in Lancaster County , Pennsylvania, and spanned over
176-668: The 1950s, peaking at about 400 covered bridges. These mostly used the Howe, Town, and Burr trusses. Today, there are 58 covered bridges in New Brunswick , including the world's longest, the Hartland Bridge . Ontario has just one remaining covered bridge, the West Montrose Covered Bridge . Roofed, rather than covered bridges, have existed for centuries in southern Europe and Asia. In these cases,
198-605: The Normans Kill. This allowed commuters to and from Albany to bypass both Normansvilles. The original Whipple Bowstring bridge still stands, though it has been closed to vehicular traffic since January 1990.) Another example stands on the campus of Union College in Schenectady, New York, where it serves as a pedestrian walkway . Whipple's patented designs were implemented in numerous bridges, both Whipple truss and prefabricated bowstring arch truss bridges, which became
220-531: The U.S., although it states that only 670 of those were standing when the 1959 edition was published. The tallest (35 feet high), built in 1892, is the Felton Covered Bridge , just north of Santa Cruz, California . Between 1969 and 2015, the number of surviving covered bridges in Canada declined from about 400 to under 200. In 1900, Quebec had an estimated 1,000 covered bridges. Relative to
242-484: The cover is to protect the users of the bridge rather than the structure. Examples include: In addition to being practical, covered bridges were popular venues for a variety of social activities and are an enduring cultural icon; for example: Squire Whipple Squire Whipple (September 16, 1804 – March 15, 1888) was an American civil engineer . Squire Whipple was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts on September 16, 1804. His family moved to New York when he
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#1732801899121264-592: The covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge can last over 100 years. In the United States, only about 1 in 10 survived the 20th century. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect, and the high cost of restoration. Surviving covered bridges often attract touristic attention due to their rarity, quaint appearance, and bucolic settings. Many are considered historic and have been
286-525: The mid-19th century, the use of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses. Metal structures did not need protection from the elements, so they no longer needed to be covered. The bridges also became obsolete because most were single-lane, had low width and height clearances, and could not support the heavy loads of modern traffic. As of 2004 , there were about 750 left, mostly in eastern and northern states. The 2021 World Guide to Covered Bridges lists 840 covered bridges in
308-509: The most popular designs was the Burr Truss , patented in 1817, which used an arch to bear the load, while the trusses kept the bridge rigid. Other designs included the King , Queen , Lattice , and Howe trusses . Early trusses were designed with only a rough understanding of the engineering dynamics at work. In 1847, American engineer Squire Whipple published the first correct analysis of
330-633: The precise ways that a load is carried through the components of a truss, which enabled him to design stronger bridges with fewer materials. About 14,000 covered bridges have been built in the United States, mostly in the years 1825 to 1875. The first documented was the Permanent Bridge , completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia . However, most other early examples of covered bridges do not appear until
352-571: The rest of North America, Quebec was late in building covered bridges, with the busiest decade for construction being the 1930s. Initially, the designs were varied, but around 1905, the design was standardised to the Town québécois , a variant on the lattice truss patented by Ithiel Town in 1820. The designer is unknown. About 500 of these were built in the first half of the 20th century. They were often built by local settlers using local materials, according to standard plans. The last agricultural colony
374-471: The standard design for Erie Canal crossings; using an economical mix of wrought iron for tension members and cast iron in compression. Another such bowstring arch is the Shaw Bridge , the only known Whipple design at its original location and the only known "double" believed extant. Consisting of two identical spans sharing a common pier, it has been described as "a structure of outstanding importance to
396-523: The state . The bridge notably survived a major flooding event in the 1930s, when the textile mills in Gilbertville were destroyed. The state ordered the structure closed in August 2002 after an inspection concluded the bridge could not bear any more weight, due in part to insect infestation. The limit at the time was 6 short tons (5.4 t). In October 2010 the bridge reopened upon the completion of
418-600: The subject of historic preservation campaigns. Typically, covered bridges are structures with longitudinal timber-trusses which form the bridge's backbone. Some were built as railway bridges, using very heavy timbers and doubled up lattice work. In Canada and the U.S., numerous timber covered bridges were built in the late 1700s to the late 1800s, reminiscent of earlier designs in Germany and Switzerland . They tend to be in isolated places, making them vulnerable to vandalism and arson. The oldest surviving truss bridge in
440-638: The world is the Kapellbrücke in Switzerland, first built in the 1300s. Modern-style timber truss bridges were pioneered in Switzerland in the mid-1700s. Germany has 70 surviving historic wooden covered bridges. Most bridges were built to cross streams, and the majority had just a single span . Virtually all contained a single lane. A few two-lane bridges were built, having a third, central truss. Many different truss designs were used. One of
462-714: Was founded in 1948, and the last bridge was built by the Ministry of Colonisation in 1958 in Lebel-sur-Quévillon . There are now 82 covered bridges in Quebec, Transports Québec including the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge , the province's longest covered bridge. In Quebec covered bridges were sometimes known as pont rouges (red bridges) because of their typical colour. Like Quebec, New Brunswick continued to build covered bridges into
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#1732801899121484-879: Was thirteen. He received his secondary education at the Fairfield Academy in Herkimer, New York , and graduated from Union College in New York after only one year. He has become known as the father of iron bridge building in America. He died March 15, 1888, at his home in Albany, New York , US and was buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, New York . The Whipple Cast and Wrought Iron Bowstring Truss Bridge over Norman's Kill in Albany, New York,
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