Rowell's Covered Bridge - West Hopkinton NH
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 43° 11.552 W 071° 44.915
19T E 276662 N 4785863
The bridge was built by Horace Childs of Henniker with the help of his brothers Enoch and Warren. The Rowell's Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waymark Code: WM5BFA
Location: New Hampshire, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2008
Views: 8
The bridge was built by Horace Childs of Henniker with the help of his brothers Enoch and Warren. The Burr type construction is unusual in that solid timber arches are fitted end to end and bolted to the side timbers to form the basic design. Most arches in other designs are laminated. A short time after it was constructed, a herd of cattle, driven faster than they should have been, moved the bridge off its abutments. The structure was brought back and securely fastened in place. Around 1930, a central pier was placed under the structure to strengthen the bridge, but under heavy loading, the bridge teetered. The top of the pier was removed and the bridge was found to function adequately without it. The structure was rebuilt by the state in 1965 at a cost of $9,521. It was rehabilitated in June of 1982 by the state for a cost of $9,000. The Antiquarian Society in Hopkinton has a demonstration model of a Long truss on display. The Rowell's Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
County / Borough / Parish: Merrimack
Year listed: 1976
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1850-1874
Historic function: Transportation
Current function: Transportation
Privately owned?: yes
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2008 To: 12/31/2008
Hours of operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Street address: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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