Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | Greenbanks Hollow Rd. over Joes Brook, Danville, Vermont |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Architectural style | queenpost truss |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000206 |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1974 |
The Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge is a really old and special bridge in Danville, Vermont. It's a covered bridge, which means it has a roof and sides, just like a little house over the water! This bridge carries Greenbanks Hollow Road over a stream called Joes Brook.
It's the only covered bridge from the 1800s still standing in Danville. Because it's so important, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. This list helps protect important historical places in the United States.
Contents
What Does the Greenbanks Hollow Bridge Look Like?
The Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge is in a quiet, countryside area of southern Danville. It stretches across Joes Brook, which flows east into the Connecticut River. This bridge helps people travel along Greenbanks Hollow Road, connecting Danville to another town called Peacham.
How the Bridge Was Built
This bridge is a single-span structure. This means it crosses the water in one big jump, without any supports in the middle. It uses a special design called a queen post truss. A truss is like a strong framework of triangles that helps the bridge hold up weight.
Interestingly, the two sides of the bridge are not exactly the same length! The western side is about 73 feet (22 meters) long. But the eastern side is about 1.5 feet (0.46 meters) longer. You can see this difference at the southern end of the bridge.
Bridge Dimensions and Features
The bridge is about 16.5 feet (5 meters) wide. The part where cars drive is about 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide, which is just enough for one lane of traffic. It has a metal roof shaped like a gable, which means it slopes down on two sides, like a typical house roof. The roof also has wide edges that stick out.
The sides of the bridge are covered with vertical wooden boards. These boards go up about halfway on the main part of the bridge. But at the entrances, called portals, the boards go all the way up to the roof. The bridge sits on strong supports called abutments, made of stone and concrete. One of the original stone supports on the north side had to be rebuilt after it collapsed.
History of the Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge
No one knows exactly when the Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge was built or who built it. It's a bit of a mystery! A historian from Vermont named Herbert Congdon believed that the bridge might have started without a roof. He thought the roof was added later to protect the wooden structure.
Similar Bridges in Vermont
The Greenbanks Hollow Bridge looks a lot like other covered bridges found in nearby Lyndon. Those bridges also use the queen post truss design. They also have half-height siding and wide roofs, just like this one.
This bridge is very special because it's the only covered bridge from the 1800s that is still standing in the town of Danville. It's a cool piece of history that you can still drive across today!
