New Henniker Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Henniker Bridge New Bridge
View looking north west - Covered Bridge, Spanning Contoocook River, Hopkinton, NH
Coordinates	43°10′54″N 71°45′07″W / 43.181700°N 71.751880°W / 43.181700; -71.751880
Crosses	Contoocook River
Named for	New road to Henniker, New Hampshire
Owner	Town of Hopkinton
Historic American Buildings Survey	HABS NH-30
Website	https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/nh0143/
Preceded by	Stone arch bridge washed away in 1852
Followed by	Steel truss bridge just north of it which is no longer in existence
Characteristics
Design	Briggs Truss
Material	Stone piers
Trough construction	Wood lattice and arch
Total length	180 ft.
Width	20 ft.
Height	22 ft.
Number of spans	1
History
Constructed by	John C. Briggs
Construction begin	1863
Construction cost	$2,500
Rebuilt	1935
Closed	1936

New Henniker Bridge or New Bridge was a covered bridge in West Hopkinton, New Hampshire, which carried Henniker Road over the Contoocook River. The truss bridge was completed in 1863, and was the second bridge on the site. The original stone arch bridge was built in 1845 and was washed away by flood in 1852. The bridge was just over 20 feet (6.1 m) wide and 180 feet (55 m) long, and consisted of a single span supported by two triple lattice trusses resting on granite abutments. The patent drawings show an all-timber truss with fixed intersection angles in the center of the span. At the ends of the span the angles of the diagonals vary. The end post is vertical, and each brace further from it is sloped a little more.

In 1935 the bridge had sustained damage during a flood and was repaired. The bridge was utilized until 1936 when a steel truss bridge was built adjoining it to the north and ready for traffic. The covered bridge was then destroyed.

• 

  View looking west with railroad line in the background

• 

  Interior looking north west