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Franklin
County, Vermont
(WGN
45-06-05 #2) (WGCB VT-06-05 #2): (1890;
Restored 1981; repaired 1982; repaired 1997; restored 2000) A single-span
Town lattice truss 49' 7" over Black Falls Brook (sometimes referred to
as Mill Brook). Located: At the western edge of Montgomery,
Vermont off SR 118 on Comstock Road. Directions: From
jct. SR 118 and SR 242 in Montgomery, Vermont, take SR 118 north 2.3 miles
to where SR 118 bears left and the road to South Richford, Vermont (South
Richford Road) goes strait ahead. Take South Richford Road 0.1 mile
to the bridge. Originally constructed to replace an uncovered wooden
bridge that collapsed under the weight of a four-horse load of Bobbins
from the Black Falls Bobbin Mill. Restored in 1981, it once again
required extensive repairs in 1982 when a log truck boom took out the Christmas
lights and pieces of the roof. The roof pieces were scattered along
the road for half a mile. The sides were braced up with cables and
the bridge remained open through the winter. In 1997, after a flood
severely damaged the north upstream corner of the structure, a steel I-beam,
tied to the floor beam below and extending out the portals onto the roadway,
was installed above the floor along the inside of the truss on the upstream
side. In 2002 the bridge was rebuilt at a cost of $170,000.00.
The restoration included removing the I-beam installed in 1997, salvaging
the entire roof, including the roof beams and gable boarding, salvaging
the upstream siding, including the weather panel boarding inside the entrance.
Gray weathered, boards cover the sides, open under the eaves for ventilation,
with two long horizontal window openings on the upstream side. White
painted vertical boards cover the portals and the weather panels inside
the entrance. The floor consists of 2' x 4' boards laid on edge and
it has a gray painted steel roof. Also known as the Black Falls
Covered Bridge and the Post Office Covered Bridge. It
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 23,
1974. (Sep 2004) |
