Massachusetts Covered Bridges

by Burk, John S.

• ISBN13: 9780738573236
• ISBN10: 073857323X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-08-11
• Publisher: Arcadia Pub

Summary

From hidden valleys in the Berkshire Hills to the North Shore, 275 documented highway and railroad covered bridges have been constructed in Massachusetts from the early 19th century onward, a figure that often comes as a surprise to those who traditionally associate these unique structures with northern New England. All but a small handful of these are long gone, lost to modern replacements, fires, wear, and the region's notorious weather, especially the devastating storms of the late 1930s. The bridges came in all shapes and sizes, from diminutive 50-foot spans to multitiered structures of nearly 900 feet that crossed the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers and were stout enough to support railroads across their roofs.

Author Biography

John S. Burk has authored guidebooks and articles related to the New England outdoors and worked for 10 years as historical researcher and archivist at Harvard Forest. For Massachusetts Covered Bridges, he traveled to repositories throughout the state, including historical societies, libraries, town halls, and the state transportation offices in Boston. With the invaluable assistance of numerous contributors, he has compiled this collection of images that document many of the lost bridges and also record the changes of the few that remain today.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 6
Introduction	p. 7
Sheffield and the Berkshires	p. 11
The Western Hills	p. 33
The Connecticut Valley	p. 63
Central and Eastern Massachusetts	p. 99
About Covered Spans of Yesteryear	p. 127
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.