About
The Cooley Covered Bridge carries Elm Street over Furnace Brook about a mile south of Pittsford village. It is a single-span Town lattice truss bridge built in 1849. The span is about 51 feet, and the whole structure is 66 feet long including its overhanging portals. It carries one lane of road traffic.
History
Nicholas M. Powers, who was born on a nearby farm and became one of Vermont's best-known covered bridge builders, built the bridge in 1849. It takes its name from the Cooley family, who owned the surrounding land. Over the years the original stone abutments were rebuilt or faced in concrete, some truss timbers were doubled, and iron bracing was added under the deck. After a 2002 review by the state's Historic Bridge Committee, Neil Daniels Construction of Ascutney completed a rehabilitation in 2003, paid for by the National Covered Bridge Preservation Program, the State of Vermont and the Town of Pittsford. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 24, 1974.
Design
The Town lattice truss is a close web of crisscrossed planks. The Cooley bridge is 18.5 feet wide with a 15-foot roadway, and its portals overhang each end by 8 feet. Writers have often compared its shape to a Conestoga wagon.
Visiting
The bridge is on Elm Street, south of Pittsford village, and is open to one lane of vehicle traffic.
Sources: Cooley Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Cooley Covered Bridge (Vermont Covered Bridge Society)
Location
Elm Street, Pittsford, VermontSimilar Bridges in category
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