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Lamoille
County, Vermont
(WGN
45-08-11) (WGCB VT-08-11): (1896;
strengthened 1897; rehabilitated 1971; rebuilt 1971; new roof 2001-02)
A single-span Kingpost and Queenpost truss 64' 3" over Sterling Brook.
Located: North of Stowe, Vermont on Sterling Valley Road. Directions:
From jct. SR 100 and SR 108, take SR 100 1.8 miles to left onto Stagecoach
Road. Continue on Stagecoach Road 0.7 miles to left on Sterling Valley
Road. Turn left onto Sterling Valley Road 1.6 miles to the bridge
on your right. Originally built at a cost of $523.14. The bridge
uses a unique Kingpost with a superimposed Queenpost truss system.
After it was racked out of alignment by a windstorm on October 16, 1897,
the unique truss system was made even more unique with the addition of
thirty eight iron rods to each truss for added support at a cost of $210.75.
The bridge was rehabilitated by the Vermont Department of Highways in 1971
when its wooden deck was replaced with a case concrete roadway and two
steel I-beam stringers. Bedrock provides natural abutments.
In 2001 or 2002, standing-seam steel roof was installed which included
replacing many roof boards. The structure is named for its bright red paint
job. Faded red vertical tongue and groove boarding covers the sides,
portals and weather panels, open under the eaves for ventilation.
The red painted steel roof and the gables project beyond the entrances
providing additional weather protection for the interior. It is also
known as the Sterling Covered Bridge, the Sterling Brook Covered
Bridge (both names for the brook is crosses) and the Chaffee Covered
Bridge (after the prominent Chaffee family who lived near the bridge
during its construction). It was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places on October 16, 1974. (Sep 2004) |
