Burt Henry Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Henry Covered Bridge
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Bennington, Vermont |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architectural style | Town lattice truss |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000187 |
| Added to NRHP | August 28, 1973 |
The Henry Covered Bridge is a really cool and historic covered bridge in Bennington, Vermont. It crosses the Walloomsac River. You might also hear it called the Burt Henry Covered Bridge or simply the Henry Bridge. This special bridge carries River Road, just south of North Bennington.
It was first built around 1840. That makes it one of the oldest covered bridges in Bennington County! Because it's so old and important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The bridge was carefully rebuilt in 1989 by the Vermont Agency of Transportation to keep it safe and strong.
About the Henry Covered Bridge
The Henry Covered Bridge is in the northwestern part of Bennington. It's not far from Bennington College. The bridge helps River Road cross the Walloomsac River, which flows west. You can find it about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of Vermont Route 67A. The historic Henry House is also right nearby.
How the Bridge is Built
This bridge is a single-span structure. It uses a special design called a Town lattice truss. This design uses many wooden planks crisscrossing each other. It makes the bridge very strong.
The bridge is about 121 feet (37 meters) long. It is 18.5 feet (5.6 meters) wide. The part where cars drive is 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide. This is enough space for one car lane. The sides of the bridge have a special type of wooden siding. The ends have flat, horizontal boards. Inside the entrance, there are vertical boards that protect the wooden trusses. The siding on the sides doesn't always go all the way to the roof. This lets some light into the bridge.
Bridge History and Changes
People believe the bridge was first built sometime in the 1830s or 1840s. Over time, there was an effort to make the bridge even stronger. They tried to double the wooden trusses. This was so very heavy trucks could cross it. However, this idea didn't work very well. So, the extra trusses were eventually removed. The entire bridge was completely rebuilt in 1989. This made sure it would last for many more years.
