New Hampshire

Historic Stark Covered Bridge (New Hampshire) /  by Todd Henson

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, New Hampshire.

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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Historic Columbia Covered Bridge (New Hampshire) /  by Todd Henson

Facing the Columbia Covered Bridge from the New Hampshire side.

The Columbia Bridge spans the Connecticut River, connecting the town of Columbia, New Hampshire, to that of Lemington, Vermont. As is so often the case, this was not the first bridge at or near this location, with multiple instances before that were destroyed by floods, wind or fire. All the previous incarnations had been toll bridges, with folks who frequently had to cross the river purchasing annual subscriptions to assure they could purchase groceries or board the train on the New Hampshire side. The first bridge was built around 1820, and the current bridge was constructed in 1912.

An angled view of the Columbia Covered Bridge in New Hampshire, with the Connecticut River below.

The Columbia Covered Bridge as seen from the New Hampshire shore of the Connecticut River.

Columbia Bridge is a single-span bridge built using the Howe truss design based on the 1840 patent by William Howe. This design features metal vertical supports to provide extra support beyond what wooden supports could provide. As with other bridges that span between states there were sometimes disagreements about which side would provide funding for construction and/or repairs. And both towns are small enough they did seek funding from their respective states as well as other organizations and the federal government.

A view of the Connecticut River from below the Columbia Covered Bridge.

The Columbia Covered Bridge as seen from Vermont.

Columbia Covered Bridge is number 33 in the New Hampshire list of covered bridges. We visited this bridge on June 20th, 2025. Click here to see the list of covered bridges we visited while traveling through New Hampshire in mid-2025.

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.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Historic Mount Orne Covered Bridge (Lancaster, New Hampshire) /  by Todd Henson

A vehicle drives from New Hampshire towards us, in Vermont, through the Mount Orne Covered Bridge.

The Historic Mount Orne Covered Bridge, named for the nearby Orne Mountain, spans the Connecticut River and connects Lancaster, New Hampshire, to Lunenburg, Vermont. It was built in 1911, though an earlier bridge, called the South Lancaster Bridge, was built at the location likely between 1870 and 1885. It is more of a utilitarian bridge than some others with less in the way of aesthetic design and has been a key crossing point for many years for some industries.

A view of the Mount Orne Covered Bridge as seen from the Vermont shore of the Connecticut River. Look closely and you may see a fisherman on the far side under the bridge.

A view of the Connecticut River from the Vermont side, near the Mount Orne Covered Bridge.

Mount Orne Bridge is an example of a Howe truss, patented by William Howe in 1840. In this design, vertical supports are metal rods instead of timber, which increased the load capacity of the bridge. This is one of four Howe truss bridges in New Hampshire. It is a two span bridge with a length of 266 feet. At one point maintenance was equally shared between New Hampshire and Vermont, but when the boundary between states was moved to the Vermont side of the river New Hampshire took on the majority of costs with Vermont just maintaining the entrance and a small section on their end.

A view inside the Mount Orne Covered Bridge. Notice the vertical metal support rods indicative of the Howe truss design.

Driving through the Mount Orne Covered Bridge towards New Hampshire.

Being a utilitarian bridge, Mount Orne Bridge has been used by many trucks transporting materials across the bridge. Unfortunately, it has also been victim to many accidents with loads that were too tall, tearing up the roofing beams and supports, or too heavy, causing damage to the flooring. The sign above the entrance has the dates of 1911, the original construction date, and 1983, when major revocations occurred. But due to all the accidents it has undergone many repairs over the years. During some years signs were posted to cross at your own risk. And at other times the bridge was completely closed.

Exiting the Mount Orne Covered Bridge into New Hampshire and the rain.

Mount Orne Covered Bridge is number 30 in the New Hampshire list of covered bridges. We visited this bridge on June 19th, 2025. It began to sprinkle while we were on the Vermont side, and while we drove through the bridge towards the New Hampshire side the rain increased. Click here to see the list of covered bridges we visited while traveling through New Hampshire in mid-2025.

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.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!