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Orange
County, Vermont
(WGN
Unknown) (WGCB Unknown): (1978)
A single-span wooden Floating structure approximately 200' over Sunset
Lake. Located: On SR 65 in Brookfield, Vermont.
Directions: From I-89, Exit 4, take SR 66 east about two miles to
Ridge Road (It is a fork at which Ridge Road is almost straight ahead and
SR 66 makes a sharp right). In 6 or so miles you'll come to a stop sign.
Turn left onto SR 65 which, in a few hundred feet, turns left onto the bridge.
In 1820 Luther Adams and the townspeople of Brookfield, who had enjoyed
the efficient travel across Sunset Lake provided by the ice in the winter,
built a bridge of logs to use in the summer. The logs were replaced each
year until 1884 when a bridge was constructed using tarred barrels that
floated on the water (the lake is too deep to support a pillared span).
Six prior structures preceded the current bridge. When the
current bridge was built in 1978, the wooden barrels were replaced with
380 plastic containers filled with styrofoam. The only floating bridge
in Vermont, it crosses Sunset Lake (formerly Colts Pond, from a family
that once owned much of the shoreline). It features a walkway on
both sides of the structure. Driving across the bridge in the summer
may be fun, but be sure to watch for those who are fishing and swimming.
In January it is a desirable viewing point for one of New England's last
remaining ice harvest festivals. Although the floating bridge is
not covered, I posted it due to its historical significance.
(Sep 2004) |
