Corbin Covered Bridge, Newport New Hampshire
On May 25th, 1993, this bridge was destroyed by arson.
There appears to be no accurate information as to the date of the construction of Corbin Bridge. Thedia Cox Kenyon's New Hampshire's Covered Bridges and William Gordan Keyworth's The Covered Bridges of New Hampshire each identifies 1835 as the year of construction. But Wheeler's History of Newport, New Hampshire, and Edes' Tales from the History of Newport state that the first covered bridge in the town was built at Kelleyville (some three miles down river from Corbin's) in 1839. The town records of annual meetings and selectmen's records for the period 1830-1840 support the conclusions of Edes and Wheeler. The records for the period 1819 to 1865 make no clear reference at all to Corbin Bridge. Eighteen forty-five is a reasonable guess but no more.
Corbin Bridge is a fine example of the Town Lattice web covered bridge design. It is also the lone survivor of the dozen or so highway covered bridges Located in the town of Newport.
Corbin Bridge marks the point where the Marquis de Lafayette crossed and recrossed the Croydon Branch Brook during his visit to Newport in June 1825.
Bridge Description
Corbin Covered Bridge crosses between the east and west banks of the North (or Croydon) Branch Brook approximately 100 yards north of its junction with the Sugar River. Thick brush growing close to the water's edge and along the roadside makes it difficult to obtain a good side view of the bridge without standing on the south bank of the river. The bridge evidently takes its name from industrialist Austin Corbin (one-time president of the Long Island Railroad, founder of Corbin's Game Park, and a native Newporter), who once owned a farm not far from the crossing.
The bridge, a standard Town truss design, consists of flanking web lattice trusses bolted between its upper and lower chords, The truss members are mostly 10" planks spaced two feet apart and pegged to each other and to the chords with wooden trunnels and metal bolts. Verticle posts spaced approximately twelve feet apart help support the upper secondary chords. The end panels and lower trusses are boxed in. The exterior sheathing consists of three-quarter-inch spruce boards hung vertically from the eaves to below the level of the lower chords. The floor planking, which is worn and shows signs of deterioration, is laid longitudinally upon 49 creosoted pine floor beams spaced two feet apart. Short braces fitted diagonally between the floor beams and roadway planking have come loose in places.
The upper lateral bracing is a system of timbers set alternately perpendicular and diagonally to the upper chords. Wind braces resting against the secondary chords furnish additional support. Some of the brace members have been damaged.
The abutments consist of dry-fitted field stone capped with concrete over the bridge seats. The wings are mainly of rubble masonry. Concrete blocks resting on the bridge seats support the bridge at either end. The portals, interior paneling, and the fences that line the bridge approach are painted white. The exterior sheathing is unpainted. The roof is shingled. The last major repair was done in 1940,
The clear span measures 80'8"; the through span is 96'4". The verticle clearance is 12'7", and the horizontal clearance is 13'3"; between the floor and the stream bed there is a drop of 13'. The bridge has a marked load tolerance of six tons. Corbin Bridge is numbered 29-10-05 by The World Guide To Covered Bridges.
(1993)
(1976)
(1976)
