Covered Bridges Of The Northeast

A richly detailed account of bridge builders, the tools they used, and their finished masterpieces, this profusely illustrated work describes foot bridges, latticework and double-decked structures, drawbridges, and more. Filled with information on bridge locations, lengths of spans, and other data, this priceless tribute to a bygone era. 150 black-and-white illustrations.

A complete guide to more than 200 covered bridges in the six New England states.

Covered Bridges are historic pieces of American and Canadian rural history, gracing the countryside from Oregon to Tennessee and from California to New Brunswick and across Canada. In this lavishly illustrated volume Joseph D. Conwill recounts the rich, romantic history of covered bridges as they developed from early timber bridges, born out of the traditions of Medieval times, into modernized structures designed for the motorized traffic of the early twentieth century. Reflecting on the efforts to keep covered bridges in service as the face of the rural landscape is transformed, and the challenge of preserving their historic character while making them safe for modern traffic, Conwill guides the reader across the diverse range of covered bridges to be found throughout the North America.

As many as 15,000 covered bridges were built in North America over the past 200 years. Fewer than 1,000 remain. In America's Covered Bridges, authors Terry E. Miller and Ronald G. Knapp tell the fascinating story of these bridges, how they were built, the technological breakthroughs required to construct them and above all the dedication and skill of their builders. Each wooden bridge, whether still standing or long gone, has a story to tell about the nature of America at the time—not only about its transportational needs, but the availability of materials and the technological prowess of the people who built it. Illustrated with some 550 historical and contemporary photos, paintings, and technical drawings of nearly 400 different covered bridges, America's Covered Bridges offers five readable chapters on the history, design and fate of America's covered bridges, plus related bridges in Canada. Most of the contemporary photography is by master photographer A. Chester Ong of Hong Kong. 55 photo essays on the most iconic bridges including: Cornish-Windsor Bridge between Vermont and New Hampshire Porter-Parsonsfield Bridge, Maine East Paden and West Paden (Twin Bridges), Pennsylvania Philippi Bridge, West Virginia Hortons Mill Bridge, Alabama Medora Bridge, Indiana Rock Mill Bridge, Ohio Knight's Ferry Bridge, California Perrault Bridge, Quebec, Canada Hartland Bridge, New Brunswick, Canada Over time, wooden bridges eventually gave way to ones made of iron, steel and concrete. An American icon, many covered bridges became obsolete and were replaced—others simply decayed and collapsed. Many more were swept away by natural disasters and fires. America's Covered Bridges is absolutely packed with fascinating stories and information passionately told by two leading experts on this subject. The book will be of tremendous interest to anyone interested in American history, carpentry and technological change.

"Travel Vermont's rural landscape and covered bridges through 290+ colored images... A complete listing of bridges, along with GPS coordinates, makes it easy to plan a day or weekend getaway"--from flyleaf.

"North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky"--Jacket.

Once there were hundreds of 19th-century and very early 20th-century covered bridges in Indiana--so many in fact, that the state ranked third in the nation in the number of structures still standing. By the early 1930s and 1940s, a movement was afoot to preserve those magnificent structures that had not already disappeared due to desertion and deterioration. Some were saved, but many were not. What was saved and cherished, however, was an abundance of vintage black and white images taken by pioneer photographers who willingly trekked from bridge to bridge decades ago. Captured in this volume are nearly 200 of those photographs from the mid-20th century and before, representing more than 36 Indiana counties from Adams County to Wells County.