East Fairfield Covered Bridge, East Fairfield Vermont
- Categories:
- Vermont
- Covered Bridges
- Queenpost Truss
The covered bridge at East Fairfield Village is the only covered wood bridge remaining in the town of Fairfield. Built about 1865, the bridge and the mill pond which it crosses are the only surviving elements of an early industrial complex beside the falls of Black Creek. The bridge continues to carry light local traffic while also representing the historic location of water-powered industry in the small rural town.
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 East Fairfield Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber queenpost trusses. Each truss incorporates iron suspension rods which extend from upper apexes formed by the diagonal members to the bottom chords. Iron tierods connect the top beams of the side walls to increase the lateral rigidity of the structure. The current legal load limit of 4000 pounds indicates the weakened structural condition of the bridge.
The East Fairfield Bridge is 68 feet long overall and 16.5 feet wide. The bridge has a 13-foot roadway; its wood floor consists of planks laid flat and perpendicular to the trusses, beginning three feet inside the south portal. The structure rests on abutments built originally of irregular stone slabs laid dry. The north abutment has been mostly faced with concrete, and the south abutment has been mortared together.
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 protects the ends of the trusses immediately inside the portals. There are no window openings in the side walls.
The gable ends, which have been rebuilt, are also sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The portal openings have irregularly diagonal upper corners. The medium-pitch gable roof is covered with corrugated metal sheeting.
