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Housatonic River Covered Bridges

The Housatonic River is, in my opinion, one of the most scenic rivers in New England. It flows south out of the Berkshires in southwestern Massachusetts, and passes through the Litchfield Hills of western Connecticut. The river is still the home of three covered bridges: Upper Sheffield in Massachusetts, and West Cornwall and Bulls in Connecticut. All three are just off of US Route 7, with West Cornwall and Bulls being visible from Route 7, and Sheffield being just out of sight around a curve.

The Upper Sheffield Covered Bridge is located on Covered Bridge Road. It is closed to traffic, but is open to pedestrians and serves as the center of a park. The park has picnic tables, a boat ramp, fishing, and a large parking lot. The historical information placard at the end of the bridge states that the original bridge was constructed in 1854, but other sources (Richard Sanders Allen and Andrew R. Howard) state that is was constructed in 1835. In any case, the bridge was burned down by arsonists in 1994, and re-constructed as a replica.

The West Cornwall Covered Bridge in Connecticut is literally a few footsteps away from quaint historic shops in West Cornwall. Constructed in 1841, the bridge is much earlier and longer than other covered bridges you have seen. The river it crosses, the Housatonic, passes over rapids right at the bridge, so the setting is more scenic than other covered bridge locations. The town has recognized this special location by installing numerous benches in a park overlooking the bridge and the rapids. This is one of the few covered bridges that has electric lighting inside, allowing easy viewing of the Town Lattice truss structure.

The Bulls Covered Bridge crosses the Housatonic River near Kent, Connecticut. The bridge was constructed in 1842, and the construction type is a Town Lattice Truss. The bridge carries traffic, but is also situated over scenic rapids just off of Route 7, and with a large parking lot. As a result, it gets a large number of covered bridge tourists.

Chapter 2 of both of my books, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times and Bridgespotting Part 2, provide extensive discussions of the history of covered bridges in the United States.

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