Dummerston Covered Bridge

Dummerston, Windham County. Built 1872, 280 ft over the West River. The longest covered bridge entirely within Vermont, built by Caleb B. Lamson.

Covered Bridge Road, Dummerston, Vermont
Vermont
National Register of Historic Places
County Windham
City/Town Dummerston
1872
GPS Coordinates 42.936670, -72.613610
Bridge Status Open to traffic
Crosses West River
Bridge Type/Truss Design Town Lattice
Length (feet) 280ft
Dummerston Covered Bridge in Dummerston, Vermont

About

The West Dummerston Covered Bridge crosses the West River a short way north of the village of West Dummerston, connecting Vermont Route 30 with Camp Arden Road. It is a two-span Town lattice truss bridge, 280 feet long, built in 1872, resting on stone abutments and a central stone pier. At 280 feet it is the longest covered bridge entirely within Vermont. It is open to vehicle traffic.

History

Master builder Caleb B. Lamson built the bridge in 1872, and it is the only known surviving example of his work in Windham County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1973. In 2012 Renaud Brothers of Vernon repaired erosion damage to the bridge's wing walls at a cost of $234,820, paid for by a Vermont Agency of Transportation enhancement grant. The work finished ahead of schedule, and the bridge reopened to traffic on August 21, 2012.

Design

Each of the two spans is carried by Town lattice trusses, a close web of crisscrossed planks. The roof is corrugated metal laid over an older wooden shingle roof. For comparison, the Scott Covered Bridge in Townshend is 277 feet long, and the Cornish to Windsor bridge, which crosses into New Hampshire, is 449 feet.

Visiting

The bridge links Vermont Route 30 with Camp Arden Road and is open to vehicle traffic. A swimming hole lies beneath the bridge, and there is a commuter park-and-ride area nearby.

Sources: West Dummerston Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Dummerston covered bridge reopens (The Commons)

Photo: Malber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Location

Covered Bridge Road, Dummerston, Vermont

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