Bement Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bement Covered Bridge
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Center Rd., Bradford, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1854 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000128 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1976 |
The Bement Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge on Center Road over the Warner River in Bradford, New Hampshire. A Long truss bridge, it was built in 1854, and is one of New Hampshire's small number of surviving 19th-century covered bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Description and history
The Bement Covered Bridge is located just south of Bradford's main village, carrying Center Road over the Warner River just south of New Hampshire Route 103 near the Bradford Pines Natural Area. It is a single-span Long truss structure, with a roadway length of 63 feet (19 m), a roof length of 71 feet 2 inches (21.69 m), and a roadway width of 19 feet 2.5 inches (5.855 m), sufficient for one lane of traffic. It rests on stone abutments that have been partially faced and topped with concrete. It is covered by a gabled roof, and its sidewalls are clad in vertical board siding. The gable ends above the portals (which are 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) in clearance) are finished in wooden clapboards.
This bridge was built in 1854, and is the third bridge to occupy the site. Although it has long been thought that the patentee of the trusses, Stephen Long, was responsible for its construction, there is no documentary support for this. It is possible that Long's brother, Dr. Moses Long, a resident of nearby Warner, may have played a role in its construction as an agent for his brother. The bridge is named for local resident Samuel Bement, whose property the second (1818) bridge was identified as being near in town records. The bridge has undergone several restorations, including in 1947 and 1968-69. It provides access to only a modest number of residences.
