Howe Covered Bridge, Tunbridge Vermont
- Categories:
- Vermont
- Covered Bridges
- Multiple Kingpost Truss
The Howe Covered Bridge is one of five covered wood bridges remaining in the town of Tunbridge. The five bridges, together with another in the adjoining town of Chelsea, cross the First Branch of the White River within a distance of about seven miles, comprising one of the most concentrated groups of covered bridges in Vermont. These bridges have not been altered seriously, and their historic environment of an extraordinarily scenic agricultural valley remains essentially undisturbed.
The Howe Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber multiple kingpost trusses. Iron rods connect some of the kingposts at both the upper and lower chords to provide lateral support. The structure rests on abutments built of irregular stone laid dry; concrete wing walls extend upstream from the abutments.
The Howe Bridge is 75 feet long at floor level. The ends of the side walls flare outward slightly to meet the gable ends, which overhang the floor 1.5 feet at each portal. The bridge is 15.5 feet wide and has a 13-foot roadway. The wood floor consists of planks laid flat and parallel to the trusses.
On the exterior, the timbers 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 windows on openings in the side walls.
The gable ends are also sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The portal openings are rectangular except for irregular upper corners. The medium-pitch gable roof is covered with wood shingles on the north slope and standing seam metal sheeting on the south slope.
South elevation (1973)
