Grist Mill Covered Bridge, Cambridge Vermont
- Categories:
- Vermont
- Covered Bridges
- Burr Arch
The Grist Mill Covered Bridge is one of nine covered bridges remaining in Vermont which are supported by timber Burr arch trusses. The bridge, which takes its name from the large grist mill that once stood near it, has been allowed to deteriorate; however, it has not yet been reinforced by any of the various devices added to other covered bridges in the state. The Grist Mill Bridge is one of three covered bridges remaining in the town of Cambridge.
The covered bridges of Vermont are among its most cherished and symbolic historic resources. About one hundred of the bridges still stand in the state, the highest concentration by area of covered bridges in the United States.
Bridge Description
The Grist Mill Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber Burr arch trusses. Each truss incorporates an arch built of two parallel arcs of single timbers, one mounted on each side of the vertical posts and diagonal braces, and bolted together through the posts. The structure rests on abutments constructed originally of irregular stone laid dry. A concrete retaining wall has been built at the base of the east abutment, and the west abutment has been rebuilt in concrete.
The Grist Mill Bridge is 84.5 feet long at floor level. The ends of the side walls flare outward to meet the gable ends, which overhang the floor four feet at each portal. The bridge is 17.5 feet wide and has a 14-foot roadway. The wood floor, which consists of planks laid flat and parallel to the trusses, is 78 feet long; it begins 6.5 feet inside the west portal. The approach is gravel.
On the exterior, the timbers pegged and bolted together to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. Similar siding formerly protected the ends of the trusses immediately inside the portals; most of it is now missing. The siding stops short of the eaves to leave strip openings along the tops of the walls. In the north wall, there are two rectangular windows near the west end and two other windows spaced at intervals of thirds along the wall. The south wall has two windows near the west end.
The west gable end is sheathed partly with unpainted flush board hung vertically; the east gable end is currently missing. The west portal opening is rectangular with a diagonal upper-south corner, which covers the first interior strut (the opposite corner is missing). The shallow-pitch gable roof is covered with corrugated metal sheeting.
South elevation (1974)
