The Stark Covered Bridge with the beautiful forested mountains in the background, in Stark, New Hampshire.
The Stark Covered Bridge may be one of the best known covered bridges in New Hampshire. It’s become an iconic representation of the state, especially when paired with the Stark Union Church right beside the bridge, the Stark Inn Bed & Breakfast on the far side of the river, and the forested mountains and rocky cliffs in the background. This scene can be found on promotional materials all over the world. In fact, almost exactly a month after visiting Stark and photographing the bridge my father and I found a promotional picture showcasing this scene in the Strasburg Museum in Strasburg, Virginia (see further below).
The iconic view of the Stark Covered Bridge and Stark Union Church in New Hampshire.
A view of the full length of the Stark Covered Bridge in New Hampshire.
Facing the Stark Covered Bridge, built using a Paddleford truss design with various modifications over the years.
Walking through one of the two pedestrian walkways within the Stark Covered Bridge in New Hampshire.
There is some uncertainty as to exactly when the bridge was built. Some records claim 1857, others that it was built along with the church in 1853. According to the book, Covered Bridges of New Hampshire (see below), the town of Stark has settled on a date of 1862.
The Stark Covered Bridge was built using a Paddleford truss design and features a pedestrian walkway on both sides of the bridge. Interestingly it was originally built as a two-span bridge, spanning the Upper Ammonoosuc River. But in 1895 a flood tore the bridge from its supports and destroyed the center pier. Thankfully, the bridge remained largely intact and with much work was restored, but this time as a single-span bridge to hopefully avoid a similar occurrence in the future. But removing that center support required strengthening the bridge, so two arches were added inside the bridge to allow it to function as a single span.
The Stark Inn Bed & Breakfast and the Stark Covered Bridge in New Hampshire.
The Stark Union Church as seen from the Stark Covered Bridge in New Hampshire.
As can be seen in the photos, there is currently a center pier. It was determined in 1945 that the bridge was sagging and needed work. In 1948 they installed the new center pier to provide needed extra support. Later, in 1954, they continued work on the bridge, adding some steel beams inside to further strengthen the bridge and raise its load capacity. And as you can see in the photos, more repair work is needed. One of the photos shows what can happen when a vehicle that’s too tall for the bridge tries to pass through it anyway.
Visible damage to the Stark Covered Bridge in New Hampshire.
The Stark Covered Bridge is number 37 in the New Hampshire list of covered bridges. We visited this bridge on June 22nd, 2025. And on a more personal note, my grandfather was actually born in what is now the Stark Inn Bed & Breakfast, that building on the other side of the river from the church. Click here to see the list of covered bridges we visited while traveling through New Hampshire in mid-2025.
The Upper Ammonoosuc River in Stark, Virginia
A view of Stark, New Hampshire, on a promotional piece found in the Strasburg Museum in Virginia.
Resources
Most of the details within this post were learned either from signs at the bridge or from the fantastic book, Covered Bridges of New Hampshire by Kim Varney Chandler, which I purchased from a small local shop in Lincoln while on our trip. It’s well worth it if you plan to visit the area or are just interested in covered bridges and their history and construction. The link takes you to the author’s website for the book with lots of extra information and with links to let you purchase directly from her.
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