Northfield Falls Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northfield Falls Covered Bridge |
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Bridge in U.S. state of Vermont
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| Carries | Cox Brook Road |
| Crosses | Dog River |
| Locale | Northfield, Vermont |
| Maintained by | Town of Northfield |
| ID number | VT-12-08 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Covered, town lattice |
| Material | Wood |
| Total length | 136.75 ft (41.68 m) |
| Width | 16.1 ft (4.91 m) |
| Number of spans | 1 |
| Clearance above | 12 ft (3.66 m) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | unknown |
| Construction end | 1872 |
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000263 |
| Added to NRHP | August 13, 1974 |
The Northfield Falls Covered Bridge is a cool old wooden bridge in Northfield, Vermont. People also call it the Station Covered Bridge. It helps Cox Brook Road cross over the Dog River. This bridge was built way back in 1872. It's special because it's one of five covered bridges still standing in Northfield. You can even see another one, the Lower Cox Brook Covered Bridge, from this bridge! In 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical spot.
About the Bridge
The Northfield Falls Covered Bridge is found in the village of Northfield Falls. This is in the northern part of Northfield. You can find it on Cox Brook Road, a short distance west of Vermont Route 12. The bridge goes over the Dog River, running from east to west. It's only a few hundred feet away from the Lower Cox Brook Covered Bridge. That other bridge crosses a different stream called Cox Brook.
How the Bridge is Built
This bridge uses a special design called a Town lattice truss. Imagine a lot of wooden planks crisscrossing like a giant fence. This design makes the bridge very strong. It has one main section, or "span." Over time, a support column was added in the middle to make it even stronger.
The bridge is about 137 feet (42 m) long. That's longer than two school buses! It's also about 19.5 feet (5.9 m) wide. The part you drive on is about 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, which is just enough for one car at a time.
Bridge Features
The Northfield Falls Covered Bridge has a metal roof shaped like a triangle. The outside walls are made of wooden boards placed up and down. These boards go a little bit inside the openings where cars enter. This helps protect the ends of the bridge's crisscrossing wood. The boards don't go all the way up to the roof, leaving a small open space at the top. The bridge sits on strong stone foundations that have been covered with concrete.
History of the Bridge
This historic bridge was built in 1872. We don't know who designed it, but they did a great job! It's one of five covered bridges that are still standing in Northfield. Three of these bridges are found very close to each other on Cox Brook Road.
In 1963, the part of the bridge that cars drive on was made stronger. Workers added four steel beams underneath it. Also, the stone foundations, which were originally just stacked stones, were covered with concrete. This helped make the bridge even more sturdy for today's traffic.
