Fuller Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fuller Covered Bridge |
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Bridge in U.S. state of Vermont
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| Carries | Automobile |
| Crosses | Black Falls Brook |
| Locale | Montgomery, Vermont |
| Maintained by | Town of Montgomery |
| ID number | VT-06-05 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Covered, Town lattice |
| Material | Wood |
| Total length | 49 ft 6 in (15.09 m) |
| Width | 16 ft 4.75 in (5.00 m) |
| Number of spans | 1 |
| Load limit | 3 tons |
| Clearance above | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Sheldon and Savannah Jewett |
| Construction end | 1890 |
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Area | 1 acre (0.4 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000216 |
| Added to NRHP | December 23, 1974 |
The Fuller Covered Bridge is a cool old wooden bridge in Montgomery, Vermont. It's also known as the Blackfalls Covered Bridge. This bridge crosses over Black Falls Brook and is used by cars on Fuller Bridge Road. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 because it's an important historical site.
The bridge was built by two brothers, Sheldon and Savannah Jewett. They built many covered bridges in this area, making it a special place with lots of their work!
What is the Fuller Covered Bridge?
The Fuller Covered Bridge is found just north of Montgomery village. It's on Fuller Bridge Road, which continues from South Richford Road. This bridge is a single-span Town lattice truss design. This means it uses a special criss-cross pattern of wooden beams to make it strong.
The bridge is about 49.5 feet (15.1 m) long and 19.5 feet (5.9 m) wide. It has one lane for cars, which is about 16 feet (4.9 m) wide. The bridge sits on stone supports, called abutments. One of these supports was later covered with concrete to make it even stronger.
A metal roof covers the bridge, protecting the wooden structure from weather. The sides are covered with vertical wooden boards. These boards also extend a little bit into the openings where cars enter and exit. The road surface inside the bridge is made of wooden planks.
Who Built This Historic Bridge?
The Fuller Covered Bridge was built in 1890. The builders were brothers named Sheldon and Savannah Jewett. They were famous for building many covered bridges in Montgomery. In fact, they built all the other covered bridges that are still standing in the town!
The Jewett brothers were very organized. They used standard sizes for their bridge parts, except for the total length of each bridge. They prepared all the wood for their bridges at their own lumberyard. This lumberyard was located in the West Hill area of Montgomery.
What Happened to the Fuller Bridge?
The Fuller Bridge has seen a lot over the years! In 1981, it was repaired and made strong again. But just one year later, around Christmas, something unexpected happened. A logging truck drove through the bridge, and its loading beam hit and destroyed the roof!
The truck driver didn't seem to notice the damage. People only found out what happened when the truck drove past the town garage. It still had Christmas lights from the bridge and pieces of the roof dragging behind it! The bridge was temporarily fixed for the winter. Full repairs were completed the next year.
In 1997, a big flood almost washed the bridge away. Luckily, it survived! Then, in 2000, the bridge got a complete rebuild. This work was done by a company called Blow & Cote from Morrisville, Vermont. Thanks to these repairs, the Fuller Covered Bridge is still standing and used today.
