Chamberlin Mill Covered Bridge, Lyndon Vermont
- Categories:
- Vermont
- Covered Bridges
- Queenpost Truss
The Chamberlin Mill covered bridge is one of five covered wood bridges remaining in the town of Lyndon. The Chamberlin Mill bridge was built originally without its roof. A contemporary newspaper article mentions a plan to cover the bridge in 1881.
The Chamberlin Mill bridge displays marked architectural similarity to the four other bridges in Lyndon and a bridge in the adjoining town of Danville. Generally, the bridges have open upper walls, extended eaves, projecting gable ends, and portals framed either with diagonal upper corners or arches, each complemented by similar forms under the eaves. These characteristics identify the most distinctive regional design among the covered bridges in Vermont.
The covered bridges of Vermont are among its most cherished and symbolic historic resources. About one hundred bridges still stand in the state, the country's greatest concentration by area of covered bridges.
Bridge Description
The Chamberlin Mill covered bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber queenpost trusses. The trusses incorporate iron suspension rods that extend from the upper apexes of the diagonal braces to the bottom chords. Iron tie rods connect the upper ends of opposite uprights in the trusses to provide lateral reinforcement. The structure rests on abutments built of irregular stone blocks which have been partially mortared together.
The Chamberlin Mill bridge is 66 feet long at floor level. The gable ends project eight feet beyond the floor at each portal. The bridge is 19 feet wide and has a 17-foot roadway. The wood floor consists of planks laid flat and parallel to the trusses.
On the exterior, the heavy timbers pegged together to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are partly sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The boards reach only about one-third the height of the walls; the upper two-thirds are open, revealing the structural members.
The gable ends are also sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The portal openings are rectangular except for diagonal upper corners. The sheathing flares outward from the portal openings to the eaves. The medium-pitch gable roof is covered with corrugated metal sheeting. There are extraordinarily wide overhangs at the eaves to protect the exposed trusswork below.
