Waterman Covered Bridge, Johnson Vermont
The Waterman Covered Bridge was built by George S. Mills in 1868. The bridge has two structural sections, the principal span is supported by queenpost trusses built of hand-hewn timbers, and the secondary span is framed with sawn timbers in post-and-beam construction. The Waterman Bridge is one of three covered wood bridges remaining in the town of Johnson.
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 Waterman Covered Bridge consists of a principal span supported by two flanking timber queenpost trusses and, at the west end, a short secondary span of post-and-beam construction. The queenpost trusses incorporate iron suspension rods that extend from the principal upper members to the bottom chords. In 1969 four steel beams were placed under the queenpost span for reinforcement.
The bridge rests on abutments that were built originally of irregular stone slabs laid dry. In 1962 the west abutment was rebuilt in concrete. A timber bent stands under the bridge to support it at the point where the principal and secondary spans are joined. The bent stands on a foundation built of irregular stone laid dry and capped with concrete.
The Waterman Bridge is 90 feet long overall; the queenpost span extends 74 feet and the post-and-beam span the remaining 16 feet. The bridge is 19 feet wide and has a 16-foot roadway. The wood floor consists of planks laid flat and perpendicular to the trusses, overlaid transversely with two strips of planks for driving surfaces. The wood floor is 80 feet long, and begins six feet inside the east portal and four feet inside the west portal; the approaches are gravel.
On the exterior, the timbers pegged together to form the trusses and framing of the bridge are sheathed with unpainted boards-and-battens hung vertically. The siding stops short of the eaves to leave strip openings along the tops of the walls.
The gable ends are sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The portal openings are rectangular with diagonal upper corners, which cover the first interior struts. The medium-pitch gable roof, which does not overhang the gable ends, is covered with standing seam metal sheeting.
East portal and south elevation (1974)
