Best's Covered Bridge, Windsor Vermont

Date added: May 06, 2024
Looking east (1973)

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One of two similar covered bridges remaining in the town of West Windsor, Best's bridge has an unusual structure for covered bridges in Vermont. Low, simple arches of laminated planks carry the deck of the bridge; the post-and-beam shed above them simply stands on the deck. Although technically unsophisticated, the structure serves quite adequately the need for an economic, durable span to carry a lightly traveled country road over a small brook.

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. Many of these bridges are integral parts of unique architectural environments whose physical setting and cultural context have been little altered until recently.

Bridge Description

Best's Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking arches of laminated planks. Each arch is made of five layers bolted together. Iron suspension rods through the arches, complemented by enclosed wood uprights, support the principal floor stringers. The abutments are built of stone slabs without mortar. The bridge is 37 feet long and 15 feet wide, with a 12.5-foot roadway.

A shed (cover) of post-and-beam construction stands on the arch span, protecting its wood members from weathering. On the exterior, the side walls and gable ends are sheathed with flush boards hung vertically. There are no windows or openings in the siding. The roof is covered with standing seam metal sheeting painted green.

Best's Covered Bridge, Windsor Vermont Looking north (1973)
Looking north (1973)

Best's Covered Bridge, Windsor Vermont Looking east (1973)
Looking east (1973)