Hopkinton Railroad Covered Bridge - Hopkinton, NH
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 43° 13.391 W 071° 42.853
19T E 279565 N 4789176
This bridge was built in 1850 when the Concord and Claremont Railroad laid its first 33 miles of track from Concord to Bradford, NH. Double Town-Pratt lattice truss. The bridge is 140'1" long; clear spans of 64'0" and 67'0". Under reconstruction.
Waymark Code: WM1Q0P
Location: New Hampshire, United States
Date Posted: 06/20/2007
Views: 28
Location: East of N.H. Route 103 in Contoocook Village on the old Concord and Claremont Railroad line spanning the Contoocook River.
Style of Bridge: Double Town-Pratt lattice truss
Year of Construction: Originally constructed in 1849-50 with major reconstruction in 1889.
Original Cost: Unknown
Structural Characteristics: The bridge is 140'1" long and has clear spans of 64'0" and 67'0". It has an overall width of 21'6" and a roadway width of 15'1", and a maximum vertical clearance of 19'4". The rail line has been abandoned.
Maintained By: New Hampshire Division of Historic Resources
World Guide Number: 26-07-07
New Hampshire Number: 10
Historical Remarks:
The structure was originally built when the Concord and Claremont Railroad laid its first 33 miles of track from Concord to Bradford, N.H. In the fall of 1850 when trains began to run regularly between Concord and Contoocook, a "day of great festivity" was held. Speeches were made, the band played, and the cannon thundered. A thousand people sat down to eat at a public dinner that cost $200 to put on.
The bridge washed off its abutments in 1936 when the Contoocook River flooded and again in 1938 from a hurricane. The bridge was kept from washing downstream because the rails were bolted together at each joint. After the flood water receded, the bridge was drawn back to its location and restored.
From 1962 until 1990 a Contoocook merchant owned and used it as a warehouse. In 1990 the bridge was given to the New Hampshire Division of Historic Resources under RSA 234:31.
In the National Register of Historic Places Inventory (nomination form) it was stated that this bridge is the oldest covered railroad bridge still standing in the United States.