Williamsville Covered Bridge, Newfane Vermont
The only covered bridge remaining in Newfane township, the Williamsville bridge is probably the oldest covered bridge in Windham County. Although altered somewhat by the replacement of the wooden floor beams with steel beams, the bridge still depends on its original trusses for support and carries relatively heavy traffic.
Vermont's covered bridges are among the state's most cherished and symbolic historic resources. About one hundred bridges still stand in the state, the greatest concentration by area of covered bridges in the country.
Bridge Description
The Williamsville Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber Town lattice trusses. Some members of the trusses have been doubled to reinforce the structure. The original wooden floor beams have been replaced with steel beams. The abutments are built of stone slabs without mortar. The bridge is 118 feet long and 21 feet wide, with a 17-foot roadway. The roadway has been paved to impede damage from weathering.
On the exterior, the large planks pegged together diagonally to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are sheathed with flush boards hung vertically. Similar siding protects the ends of the trusses immediately inside the portals. There are rectangular openings in the siding near the southeast and northwest corners of the bridge to provide better visibility for on-coming traffic. The gable ends of the bridge differ, owing to repair work. The east end has vertical flush boards painted white, with a roof overhang of about 2 feet; the west end, which has been rebuilt, is flat with unpainted vertical flush boards. The roof of the bridge is covered with corrugated metal sheeting.
Looking west (1973)
