Halpin Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Halpin Covered Bridge |
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| Carries | Automobile |
| Crosses | Muddy Branch of New Haven River |
| Locale | Middlebury, Vermont |
| Maintained by | Town of Middlebury |
| ID number | VT-01-03 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Covered, Town lattice |
| Material | Wood |
| Total length | 66.25 ft (20.19 m) |
| Width | 11.9 ft (3.63 m) |
| Number of spans | 1 |
| Load limit | 8 tons |
| Clearance above | 9.75 ft (2.97 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | unknown |
| Construction end | 1850 |
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000199 |
| Added to NRHP | September 10, 1974 |
The Halpin Covered Bridge, also known as the High Covered Bridge, is a cool wooden covered bridge in Middlebury, Vermont. It helps Halpin Bridge Road cross over the Muddy Branch of the New Haven River. This historic bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, meaning it's an important landmark!
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What Makes the Halpin Bridge Special?
The Halpin Covered Bridge is found in a quiet, countryside part of northern Middlebury. It's very close to the town of New Haven. The bridge crosses a deep gorge over the Muddy Branch of the New Haven River. Today, it mostly provides access to the Halpin family farm.
Bridge Design and Size
This bridge is a single-span Town lattice truss. This means its wooden frame is made of many crisscrossing planks, like a giant lattice pattern. This design makes the bridge very strong! The Halpin Bridge is about 66 feet (20 m) long. It rests on strong concrete supports called abutments.
The bridge is about 16 feet (4.9 m) wide in total. The part cars drive on is about 12 feet 5 inches (3.78 m) wide, which is just enough for one lane of traffic. One of the most amazing facts about this bridge is how high it stands! It's about 41 feet (12.5 m) above the water, making it the highest covered bridge in all of Vermont!
History of the Halpin Covered Bridge
The Halpin Covered Bridge was built way back in 1850. It was first built to help a marble quarry operation on the east side of the river. Back then, it had supports made of stacked stones.
Bridge Repairs and Upgrades
Over the years, the bridge has needed some care. It had small repairs in the 1960s. Then, in 1994, a lot of big work was done by an expert named Jan Lewandoski. The entire bridge was carefully lifted off its old, crumbling marble supports. New, strong concrete supports were built for it. This work helped make sure the Halpin Covered Bridge can stand strong for many more years! It is also one of only two covered bridges in Middlebury.
