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The West Swanzey Covered Bridge (also known as the Thompson Bridge) is a historic wooden
The West Swanzey Covered Bridge is located just west of the village center of West Swanzey, carrying Main Street over the Ashuelot River in a roughly east–west orientation. It is one of two bridges in the village; the other is a modern one about downriver. It is a two-span 
The West Swanzey Covered Bridge (also known as the Thompson Bridge) is a historic wooden covered bridge
A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...
carrying Main Street over the Ashuelot River
The Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region. It is the longest tr ...
in West Swanzey, New Hampshire
West Swanzey is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Swanzey within Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,281 at the 2020 census. It is the largest village in the town of Swanzey.
Geography
West Swanzey ...
. Built in 1832, it is one of New Hampshire's few surviving 19th-century covered bridges. Unlike most of those, it is prominently located in the village, providing access from the village center to New Hampshire Route 10
New Hampshire Route 10 is a north–south state highway in western New Hampshire, United States. Its southern terminus is in Winchester at the Massachusetts state line, where it continues south as Massachusetts Route 10. Administratively, the ...
. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1980.
Description and history
The West Swanzey Covered Bridge is located just west of the village center of West Swanzey, carrying Main Street over the Ashuelot River in a roughly east–west orientation. It is one of two bridges in the village; the other is a modern one about downriver. It is a two-span Town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
lattice truss structure, 136'10" long, with spans measuring 64'0" and 63'6", and rests on a stone central pier and abutments. It is covered by a shallow-pitch metal gabled roof, which extends beyond the trusses to shelter sidewalks on both sides. Only one of the sidewalks now survives, although evidence of the separate walkway portals survives. The main vehicle portals have segmented-arch tops, which are echoed in the pedestrian portals.
The bridge was built in 1832 by Zadoc Taft for the town at a cost of $523.27. In 1973 the bridge was posted for a six-ton limit, requiring school buses to empty before they could cross the bridge. It was closed to all traffic in 1990, and underwent a major reconstruction in 1993.
See also
* List of New Hampshire covered bridges * List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire * National Register of Historic Places listings in Cheshire County, New HampshireReferences
{{NRHP in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Wooden bridges in New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Bridges in Cheshire County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Swanzey, New Hampshire Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Lattice truss bridges in the United States