MisterVA Travels to Courthouses & Covered Bridges

Rhode Island Courthouses: Finished At Last!

When I last ventured into Rhode Island in April 2018, my intent was to complete the whole state in one day.  I would have done it, too, but I did not want to be late for my wife's concert in East Greenwich, so I gave up on finding a parking place near the old 1760 Providence County Courthouse and the new Kent County Courthouse in West Warwick.  I kept hoping that I'd be able to make that quick trip over, but it never seemed to happen--until today.  Arriving in Providence at 9 a.m., I found a parking place right in front of the old courthouse.  Dare I say it was providential?  The historic building once served as the State House, and two months before a bunch of guys like Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams gathered in Philadelphia in July of 1776, Rhode Island patriots declared their independence then and there--right inside the building that still stands a few blocks from the present courthouse!

Across the street from where I parked was a city park which I noted had some informational signs.  One was a map of the area and nearby the Roger Williams National Memorial stands the oldest Baptist Church in America.  Still holding membership in the First Baptist Church in St. Albans, Vermont, I naturally strode the three blocks to get a couple of pictures of the building.  As it happens, being in Providence before the leaves popped out gave me much better photo opportunities than I would've had last April.

Next on the agenda was the Kent County Courthouse in nearby Warwick.  In fact, it would be the final courthouse picture needed to complete my ninth state.  The County Seat was moved from East Greenwich in 1974, and the converted office building which housed the court until this new edifice went up in 2004 has since been razed.  It is always disconcerting when a courthouse building cannot be saved.  In some cases, like the Rock Island County Illinois building, it can be saved, but stubborn judges want it demolished.  As of today, yet another injunction has been filed. Once the old buildings are gone, the monolithic replacements add nothing to the architectural splendor of those they succeed. At least here in Kent County, the old one in East Greenwich is still standing.

With the courthouse pictures now complete, I headed home, with one slight "on the way" detour.  In Foster, Rhode Island, the townsfolk commissioned a covered bridge to be built to commemorate their 350th anniversary.  It was burned shortly thereafter, but a replacement over Hemlock Bridge was completed in 1994.  Although not an authentic covered bridge because of the steel stringers underneath, it still is in a picturesque setting.  Here are some pictures of the Swamp Hollow Covered Bridge just off RI Route 94.

My next series of posts will be from an upcoming trip to the Midwest.  Stay tuned.

 

The Last of the Covered Bridge Builders

I have mentioned in several of my posts, that bridges were either built by or restored by Milton Graton (and his sons) of Ashland, New Hampshire.  I have seen bridges as far south as Georgia and as far west as Michigan which bear the  Graton name.  I am always on the lookout for resource books for both Courthouses and Covered Bridges.  A unique opportunity came my way recently, which is the book sharing the title of this post. Copyright dates range from 1978 to 1990.  Many of the projects featured in the book are ones that I have photographed.

Some have had some interesting stories.  Details of construction as well as the preparation and installation work are included, so those interested in the technical aspect of what the Gratons have done will satisfy them immensely.  I will focus on the bridge stories paragraph by paragraph.

In Warner, New Hampshire, a short distance up I-89 from Concord, there stood 3 covered bridges in the mid-1960s.  Only two of them remain.  The third one--the Bagley Bridge--was in terrible shape and the Gratons wanted to save it, but the town didn't want to expend any funds.  In a tug of war between the town and historical societies, the aftermath was Graton purchasing the bridge for a dollar and moving it to Ashland for storage.  Nothing more was mentioned in the book, so I was curious as to what, if anything, had happened to it.  As it turns out, the early 1800s bridge was re-assembled in Highlands, North Carolina, around 2006, as the entry to the Bascom Center.  Some new lumber was required, and the name of the bridge has changed, but it is still considered authentic.  It is just off US 64 east of Franklin.

The Fisher Bridge in Wolcott, Vermont, was one of three RR covered bridges within a short distance that the rail company wanted to dismantle.  It is the only one that was saved from demolition.  It was used up until the late 1980s, although it appears to have been neglected in recent years along Vermont Route 15 between Hardwick and Wolcott.

The first new bridge built in the 1900s in Vermont for several decades was fraught with battles from stubborn property owners within the village of Woodstock.  Using oxen and ginpoles as well as other techniques to work within a narrow space with no trespass orders on either side, the Middle Bridge on Union Street was constructed in 1969--replacing a steel bridge, no less.  It was burned a few years later by arson, but it was not a total loss and it was repaired.

The Bedell Bridge which crossed the Connecticut River below Lancaster, New Hampshire, was a mammoth undertaking.  It stood as a finished project for only a short time, however, as a big wind came up the river and blew it off its moorings and into the river.  No attempt to rebuild it ever occurred.  No tale of its demise was presented in the book.  Sadly, I never saw this particular bridge.  Its restored life lasted from July to September 1979.

The two small Campton, New Hampshire, bridges--Turkey Jim and Bump--are detailed.  Turkey Jim has most recently been restored after destruction from Hurricane Irene in 2011--itself a restoration in the late 1950s of an earlier bridge.  The Bump Bridge was restored/replaced in the 1970s over the Beebe River.  The Gratons also were awarded the restoration of the large Blair Bridge, just off Route 3.  A few bridges in nearby Plymouth and Rumney are also mentioned.  The Smith Bridge was destroyed by fire and rebuilt around 2003, so that part of the project was not mentioned.  Sadly, I was not able to locate my photos of the old bridge.

Several projects were mentioned in the Perkinsville, Vermont, area.  The Titcomb Bridge was a rescue and is only viewable from a distance in winter months.  The Salmond Bridge was mentioned as being destroyed, but one under that name appears in town just off the main road in town.  The third bridge in the area, the Downers Bridge over the Black River, is covered in detail in the book.

I've driven by the Groveton Bridge hundreds of times.  Now bypassed by US Route 3, its white portals and sides provide a great contrast of the surrounding area.  There used to be a paper mill with a huge pulp pile to serve as a backdrop, but that is now long gone.  The restoration, done in the 1960s, is wearing off as of my last visit in June 2018.  A town water pipe passing through the bridge was one of the obstacles faced.

Baltimore Bridge in Springfield, Vermont, was moved in the early 1970s, saving it from destruction.  An old schoolhouse is on the site as well, and easy parking just east of the village makes it convenient to photograph. There are a number of bridges in Vermont which have been restored, but you can tell which ones were done by someone else.

My last trip via Tunbridge included the Flint Bridge over the 1st Branch of the White River.  That one is a Graton restored bridge from the 1970s as well. A couple in New York State caught my eye as well.  Old Blenheim--since destroyed and rebuilt--was the oldest  and longest in the state.  I've not been to the new one, but it would not surprise me if there is a sign mentioning the Gratons on site.  The Newfield Bridge in Newfield--just west of Ithaca--was saved by a local family and it was restored by the Gratons.  I visited there last August.  It is New York's westernmost covered bridge.

The final bridge in the northeast is the New England College Bridge in Henniker, New Hampshire.  It was build as a footbridge for students to get to the part of the campus across the river safely in the 1970s and oxen were used to draw it across.

One out of the region was built in the early 1980s.  In Frankenmuth, Michigan, a long bridge spans the Cass River which was built at the behest of a Bavarian Inn owner.  The town is themed in Bavarian style, and so is the bridge (it sports 6 dormers).  I visited here as a slight detour, and by chance, during one of my courthouse treks las July.  The book is a definite must for any covered bridge enthusiast.  I found a new copy of it on eBay for a very low price.  I would recommend looking there first.

Coming in Pairs: Lighthouses and Covered Bridges

In making a quick trip to Maine over the weekend, my wife and I decided to visit a couple of Lighthouses in Cape Elizabeth.  Although, we were not able to walk up to them, we were able to get some good pictures.  Cape Elizabeth Two Lights as the name implies is a location where two Lighthouses are about a quarter of a mile from each other.  The one closer to the coastline has private ownership in the lighthouse keeper's quarters, and the west tower is just a bit further inland.  There is ample off season parking and we did a bit of sea glassing there as well as the tide headed out.  Except for the island lighthouses, we've been able to get pretty close to them for photographs.  Only the lighthouse in Kennebunkport remains unseen by us from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Portland, Maine.

We caught a break in the weather, as it was in the upper 40s as the tide was headed out.  Not quite quick enough, as one of the breakers thoroughly soaked my right leg, and a wet foot was my punishment for the next couple of hours.  Our glassing time netted quite a find in a short period, so we will likely make a return visit.

It was quite windy on the drive home, and since I have seen the courthouses and covered bridges on various routes home, I decided to see a covered bridge that was more modern, in fact a footbridge, that was not too far out of the way.  The Nissitissit Covered Bridge sits on an old set of RR bridge abutments, and 46 feet of it was moved there in 2001 as a gift from the former Covered Bridge Gift Store in nearby Nashua.  It was extended to 110 feet spanning the Nissitissit River.   The old portion was built in 1974. The Camp Tevya or Brookline Covered Bridge is located across the street.  It is a 2008 Town Lattice footbridge which spans a small tributary of the Nissitissit River.  I had passed by both on NH 13 several times in the past--they are less than 1/4 mile to the west in Brookline, New Hampshire, about 2 miles north of the Massachusetts state line. A great reference tool that I often use is Dale Travis's website--it gives a comprehensive list of bridges, past and present, authentic and modern--in addition to books and other listings.  Waymarking and Bridgehunter are also good sites--the latter often providing street addresses, thus making GPS use helpful.

I am hopeful that a quick mini-trip next week will take me to Rhode Island to finish courthouse pictures, get a picture of the covered bridge in Foster, and perhaps take me into Plymouth County.  And then, it's off to St. Louis.