East Fairfield Covered Bridge

About

The East Fairfield Covered Bridge carries Bridge Street over Black Creek, a tributary of the Missisquoi River, at the western end of East Fairfield village in the town of Fairfield, a short way south of Vermont Route 36. It is a single-lane queenpost bridge about 67 feet long, built around 1865, and it is open to vehicles.

History

The builder is not known. It is the only surviving 19th century covered bridge in Fairfield. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 1974. After several attempts to keep it open, the town had to close it to vehicles, and it stayed closed from 1987 until 2009. Blow & Cote began reconstruction in August 2008, and the bridge reopened to traffic on July 5, 2009.

In December 2017 a delivery truck got stuck in the bridge and knocked out some boards. The town clerk described the damage as minor, and the bridge stayed open.

Design

The queenpost truss uses two vertical posts linked by a horizontal beam. The bridge has vertical board siding and rests on dry-laid stone abutments that were later finished with concrete and mortar.

Visiting

The bridge is on Bridge Street near Route 36 in East Fairfield and is open to vehicles. About 10 homes are on the south side, and Mill Street offers a way around it.

Sources: East Fairfield Covered Bridge, Wikipedia, A Crash Damages East Fairfield's Historic Covered Bridge, Seven Days