In North America, numerous timber covered bridges were built in the late 1700s to the late 1800s, reminiscent of earlier designs in Germany and Switzerland. Most of the bridges were built across streams, and a majority had just a single span, virtually all contained a single lane. A few two-lane bridges were built, having a third central truss, and these bridges were often referred to as double barreled.
One of the first covered bridges that I ever saw was at an entrance to Brown County State Park in southern Indiana. It was built in 1838 and is the oldest covered bridge still standing in the state. It's one of the four double barreled bridges remaining in the United States.
A covered bridge is a timber truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges creates an almost complete enclosure. Occasionally, one will have louvered windows in it to allow some light to enter. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun. But a covered bridge could last over 100 years, and in some cases, at least 200 years.
In North America, there were thousands of these bridges built, but only about one in ten survive today. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect and the high cost of restoration. These bridges tend to be in isolated places, making them vulnerable, vandalism, and arson. Surviving covered bridges often attract touristic attention due to their rarity.
Here in New Brunswick, we had about 400 covered bridges at one point in time. Today, there are 58 remaining. Early bridges were designed with only a rough understanding of the engineering dynamics at work. That design was improved over the years. Between 1969 and 2015, the number of surviving covered bridges in Canada declined from about 400 to under 200.
And like I said, there are 58 remaining here in New Brunswick. These bridges represent more than a simple aid to transportation. They symbolize the province growth and prosperity in the 20th century. Covered bridges were covered for a very practical reason. The roofs protect the floorboards and their supporting beams from the wetting and drying that open bridges normally endure.
An uncovered wooden bridge had a practical lifespan of 10 to 15 years, while a covered bridge could be expected to last up to 200 years, or even more. Contrary to popular belief, the roofs were not meant to keep the snow off the bridge. In fact, in the winter months, an employee was hired to coat the bridge floor with snow to allow the sleighs to pass through.
New Brunswick covered bridges are distinctive from similar bridges in other parts of North America for two reasons. The most visible is that the wall boards were left unpainted, resulting then in turning the wood the popular soft gray. They are today. Secondly, the openings are taller than most as most bridges were built in rural communities. Regulations stated that bridges must allow a full wagon load of loose hay to be able to pass under safely.
When community buildings were scarce, as they were in the early days in the province, covered bridges were a popular place for neighborhood residents to meet. People aren't the only ones that appreciated covered bridges. Horses dislike crossing running water, being afraid something is waiting there to pounce on them. Combining this with the sound of the wheels traveling on vibrating wood bridge spans, many horses simply refuse to cross an open bridge. Since a covered bridge resembled a barn, The familiar shape and the barrier between themselves and the water made the horses feel safer when crossing.
In 2017, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of Confederation in Canada. One of the events that I participated in was being part of a group that paddled a large canoe down the St. John River. We traveled on the river for a week and the first night we camped at Hartland. While there, I had the opportunity to visit the Hartland Covered Bridge.
This bridge spans the St. John River, and at 1, 282 feet, is the longest covered bridge in the world. Before the bridge was built, the only way to cross the St. John River was by ferry. Originally, the bridge was not covered, and then on April 6, 1920, two spans of the bridge collapsed due to river ice.
The bridge reopened in 1922 after construction to repair the structure. And at that time, the bridge was also covered. The six wooden piers were also converted to concrete. While the bridge was mostly used by horse and wagon to transport crops back and forth. But also, back in horse and buggy days, those covered bridges offered a way for couples to steal a kiss away from prying eyes. Probably the fella had the horse trained to automatically stop. halfway through the bridge. They're still referred today as kissing bridges, a nod to their romantic past.
With each passing year, New Brunswick's covered bridges are increasingly at risk of irreparable damage or demolition due to a range of natural forces, accidents, vandalism and the lack of maintenance. Recent ice and floodwaters have taken their toll, weakening and immediately threatening the future of many bridges.
In 2019, former Transportation Infrastructure Minister Bill Oliver announced that the government would develop a strategy to preserve covered bridges in New Brunswick. In an interview, Oliver said his office created a short list of five bridges in the province that needed restoring. The Baywaters Covered Bridge was one of the first to be worked on. Since this bridge is a vital transportation link along the Kingston Peninsula and on a provincial highway, a million-dollar restoration project was needed in order for emergency vehicles and other vehicles to safely cross the bridge.
This became especially crucial after flooding on the St. John River made the detour routes impassable. The restoration work was done mainly on the bottom of the bridge, so it may not be something you see at first glance. The Bayswater Bridge retains much of its original material on the sides of the covered bridge. From Saint John. It's only about a 30-minute drive plus a 10 minute ferry ride to get to the Bayswater Bridge.
A second area that you might want to visit when you're looking at covered bridges in New Brunswick would be the bridges in Saint Martins. The Village of St. Martin has two covered bridges in it.
The Vaughan Creek Covered Bridge was just rebuilt and opened in 2022. It is the first new covered bridge construction in the province in 70 years. The cost of the construction was 6. 7 million and shows the commitment of the province to covered bridge protection. This bridge is an important link between St. Martins and the Fundy Trail Parkway. The 105-foot-long bridge is one of North America's rare double barreled covered bridges. and the only double-barreled bridge in Canada. It also includes a pedestrian walkway. Its design resembles the traditional style of New Brunswick's covered bridges while considering today's operational needs and accommodating larger vehicles and buses. The main façade is made of the same materials as the original bridge.
Another popular area for covered bridges is about a 45-minute drive east of Saint John. This is around the town of Sussex. In fact, the town of Sussex is known as the Covered Bridge Capital of Atlantic Canada. Of the 131 wooden structures in the country, 15 of them reside in the Sussex area.
There were 340 covered bridges in New Brunswick in 1953. And now only 58 remain. The losses revitalize the interest of concerned citizens who took action to call attention to these issues. One of these organizations is the Association Heritage New Brunswick, which organizes a Covered Bridge Weekend in August.
I hope that the information I've given you about covered bridges will inspire you to either drive to New Brunswick and visit one, or if you live in New Brunswick, simply take a little drive someday and visit one of these bridges. You can go to St. Martin's, you can go to Sussex, you can go to Hartland, and you can go to any one of a number of other places and see a bridge that probably is well over 100 years old.
And if you do visit the covered bridge there in Hartland, you might also want to stop at the Covered Bridge Potato Chips factory and take a tour and have a sample of their potato chips and popcorn. Their sweet and salty popcorn is my favorite!