Mill Covered Bridge (Belvidere, Vermont) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mill Covered Bridge |
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Bridge in U.S. state of Vermont
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| Carries | Automobile |
| Crosses | North Branch of Lamoille River |
| Locale | Belvidere, Vermont |
| Maintained by | Town of Belvidere |
| ID number | VT-08-06 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Covered, Town lattice |
| Material | Wood |
| Total length | 70 ft 4.75 in (21.46 m) |
| Width | 11 ft 11.5 in (3.64 m) |
| Number of spans | 1 |
| Load limit | 8 tons |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Lewis Robinson |
| Construction end | 1895 |
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000227 |
| Added to NRHP | November 19, 1974 |
The Mill Covered Bridge is a cool old wooden bridge in Belvidere, Vermont. It crosses the North Branch of the Lamoille River. This bridge was built around 1890. It's one of only two covered bridges left in this small town. Because it's so special, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Contents
What Makes the Mill Covered Bridge Special?
The Mill Covered Bridge is in a quiet, country part of Belvidere. It helps Back Road connect to Vermont Route 109. This bridge is a single-span structure. That means it crosses the river with just one main section.
How Was the Bridge Built?
The bridge uses a design called a Queen post truss. This design uses strong wooden beams to support the bridge's weight. It is about 70 feet (21 m) long and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. The part cars drive on is about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, which is enough for one lane of traffic.
The bridge rests on stone foundations called abutments. These stones were stacked without mortar, then topped with concrete. The bridge is also set a little bit crooked. This gives it a unique parallelogram shape.
Looking at the Bridge's Outside
The outside of the bridge is covered with vertical wooden boards. These boards also go inside the openings where cars enter and exit. The siding stops before the roof, leaving a small open space along the sides.
The opening on the north side of the bridge is shaped like a rounded arch. But the opening on the south side is rectangular with angled corners. The road surface inside the bridge is made of wooden planks. Underneath these planks are strong steel I-beams. These beams now carry most of the weight from cars.
History of the Mill Covered Bridge
The Mill Covered Bridge was built by a person named Lewis Robinson. He finished building it around 1890. It is one of two covered bridges in Belvidere. The other one is the Morgan Covered Bridge, which is further east. There are actually five covered bridges along a five-mile stretch of the North Branch Lamoille River!
Repairs and Upgrades
In 1971, something interesting happened. A contractor's snowplow accidentally broke through the bridge deck. After that, the steel beams were added under the wooden deck. This made the bridge much stronger. Later, in 1995, the main wooden supports (the trusses) were fixed. This work was done by Jan Lewandoski and Paul Ide.
