West Townshend Stone Arch Bridge - West Townshend VT
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 43° 05.070 W 072° 42.584
18T E 686422 N 4772744
Built in 1910 by James Otis Follett, who reportedly built upwards of forty similar arch bridges in Southern Vermont and New Hampshire.
Waymark Code: WMHFQ7
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 07/06/2013
Views: 2
Built in 1910 of granite blocks and located just off RT 30. The bridge crosses the Tannery Brook and is the largest Follet bridge in Townshend. Down the brook a little ways was another Follet bridge that carried RT30, however that one washed out by the flood of 1938. At the time they were known as the Twin Bridges of West Townsend.
James Otis Follett was a local farmer turned stone mason. He build six small stone arch bridges between 1894 and 1910. Like many other farmers, he worked on the town road crew to supplement his farming income. The bridges were built with local materials using either fieldstones or granite blocks. The granite blocks were drilled and split by hand. The bridge foundations with "mud sills", hem lock logs sunk underwater which protected from rotting. On top of these the arch was the first bridge component. To form the arch, he built a a wooden arched frame. The stones were lifted into place with a derrick and horsedrawn winch. The two sides were built up and the top keystone lifted into place. To finish, fill was laid in behind the arch and a gravel road surface was laid on top.
Follett used little or no mortar, relying on the keystone and weight of the stones above the arch to hold the bridge together. Follett reportedly built as many as forty stone bridges through out the region of southern Vermont and New Hampshire.
What type of traffic does this bridge support?: motor vehicles
What kind of gap does this bridge cross?:
Brook
Date constructed: 1910
Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: yes
Name of road or trail the bridge services: Back Windham Rd
Location:
West Townshend VT
Length of bridge: Not listed
Height of bridge: Not listed
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