Covered Bridges in the Jay Peak Area
School House BridgeTown: Troy
Date: 1910
Builder: Unknown
The School House Bridge is located on River Road in Troy.
Barn red, the ninety-two foot School House Bridge stands at a bend in the Missisquoi River, next to a ford and a sandbar. At low water, a viewer can walk out on the sand wo within a hundred feet of the span.
The bridge is of special interest because of the three pairs of flying buttresses and because of the low roof line. The height of the plank-lattice trusses on this bridge are only nine feet eight inches, one to two feet shorter than usual, leaving insufficient space for hay wagons through if the conventional interior bracing system had been used. It is also the only plank-lattice truss bridge in the state to use one treenail where the lattice planks cross. A new metal roof was put on in 2002.
Black River Bridge
Town:Irasburg
Date: 1881 - rebuilt 2001
Builder:John D. Colton
Also know as the Orne Bridge, It spans the Black River at a bend near a swampy shore, just over the Irasburg town line. Beavers work only a few feet from passers-by. In the springtime, ducks land in the wet field off to the north.
The eighty-six foot bridge and is one of three paddleford-truss spans surviving in Vermont, and it is the only one supporting daily traffic.
The bridge stands high on original stone abutments now cased and capped in concrete. The interior is bright because of full length venting.
The bridge was destroyed by fire, but completely rebuilt in 2001.
Lord's Creek Bridge
Town:Irasburg
Date: 1881
Builder:John D. Colton
Built in 1881, it spanned Lord's Creek until it was replaced in the late 1950s. The old bridge was acquired by the LaBond family and moved to the family farm where it crosses the Black River.
Still known as the Lord's Creek Bridge, it provides access to the farmer's fields. There is a cattle gate stapled to the west portal.
Unfortunately, the forty-eight foot bridge is in very poor condition.
Fuller BridgeTown: Montgomery
Date: 1890
Builder: S. & S. Jewett
The Fuller Bridge, or Black River Bridge, stands in the heart of Montgomery Village and is very much a part of village life. In season, it can be found decorated with Christmas wreaths and lights.
Black Falls Brook powered the J.E. Smith Bobbin Factory, and the Jewetts built the 50 foot span in 1890 to replace an open bridge that had collapsed under the weight of a load of bobbins.
The bridge was restored in 1981.
Comstock Bridge
Town: Montgomery
Date: 1883
Builder: S. & S. Jewett
The Comstock Bridge crosses the Trout River and provides alternate access to Rte 118 for a few homes. The surroundings here are park-like through the efforts of local property owners.
Longley Bridge
Town: Montgomery
Date: 1863
Builder: S. & S. Jewett
The Longley Bridge stands crisp and clean, with new deck, roof, and siding. Also called the (Samuel) Head Bridge, it crosses the Trout River north of the village, serving Longley Flat Road, giving access to the Enosberg Town Forest and East Enosburg.
Creamery Bridge
Town: Montgomery
Date: 1883
Builder: S. & S. Jewett
The little bridge, spanning fifty-nine feet, crosses West Hill Brook high above a cascade of crystal clear water deep in a hollow on the south slope of West Hill.
In 1883, when the bridge was built, West Hill was a busy place. Beside the Jewett family farm and dimension lumber mill, there were 49 active farms. A creamery stood just east of the bridge, and there was a furniture factory in the lower West Hill Brook gorge.
A waterfall and pool hidden beneath the bridge lure local residents on hot summer days. The ruins of the creamery stand at the north portal.
Hutchins BridgeTown: Montgomery
Date: 1883
Builder: S. & S. Jewett
It would be wrong to think of the Hutchins Bridge's history as idyllic and bucolic. This was a busy spot in 1883, as the moss covered foundations just south of the west portal reveal. Here, Joseph Hutchins' five-lathe tub factory produced 2,000 butter tubs a day.
Hectorville Bridge
Town: Montgomery
Date: 1883
Builder: S. & S. Jewett
A stout wooden fence blocks the portals of this bridge. After serving Gibou Road since the turn of the century, it stands in retirement beside a concrete and steel replacement.
Originally built in Montgomery Village, the bridge was moved to its present site in 1899.
&The bridge spans a small gorge carved by the south branch of the Trout River.
The information on this page is taken from the Book "Spanning Time", by Joseph C. Nelson. For more information, click on the photo.
Photos are by Dave MacKenzie. For photos of additional Vermont Covered Bridges, Click Here
All used by permission.