Lincoln Covered Bridge

Lincoln Covered Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Woodstock, Vermont
Coordinates	43°36′2″N 72°34′10″W / 43.60056°N 72.56944°WCoordinates: 43°36′2″N 72°34′10″W / 43.60056°N 72.56944°W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1877
Built by	Pinney,R. W.; Pinney,B. H.
Architectural style	Pratt truss system
NRHP Reference #	73000212[1]
Added to NRHP	August 28, 1973

The Lincoln Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge, just south of United States Route 4 in West Woodstock, Vermont. Built in 1877, it is one of the only known examples of a wooden Pratt truss bridge in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[1]

Description and history

The Lincoln Covered Bridge spans the Ottauquechee River, a short way west of the village of West Woodstock. It is just south of US 4, connecting that road to Bridges Road and Fletcher Hill Road on the south side of the river. It is a single span, 136 feet (41 m) in length, resting on concrete and stone abutments, and is 18.5 feet (5.6 m) wide with a roadway width of 14 feet (4.3 m) (one lane). The bridge is supported by two arch trusses, which are sheltered by a post-and-beam structure finished with a metal standing seam roof and vertical board siding. The trusses are a variant of the Pratt truss, with laminated arches supporting the deck by a combination of wooden and iron verticals, with iron cross bracing. Laminated support beams have been added below the floor to increase the bridge's strength. The superstructure of the bridge is fastened to the ground by a system of metal guy wires.^[2]

The bridge was built in 1877 by R.W. Pinney and B.H. Pinney (of Bridgewater and Woodstock, respectively), about thirty years after the Pratt truss was patented. According to covered bridge history Richard S. Allen, it is the only known surviving use of the Pratt truss in wood; this form is seen much more widely in metal bridges built later.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Windsor County, Vermont
• List of Vermont covered bridges
• List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont

References

1. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Hugh Henry (1973). "NRHP nomination for Kendron Brook Bridge" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-07-22. with photos from 1973