Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road

Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Howard Hill Rd. and VT 131, Cavendish, Vermont
Coordinates	43°24′16″N 72°34′32″W
Area	0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built	1890 (1890)
Built by	Groton Bridge and Manufacturing Co.
Architectural style	Pratt through truss
NRHP reference No.	82001711[1]
Added to NRHP	September 9, 1982

The Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road is a modern pony truss bridge, carrying Howard Hill Road across the Black River in southeastern Cavendish, Vermont. It is the replacement for a historic 1890 Pratt through truss bridge, which is now in storage. The historic bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.^[1]

Modern bridge

The Howard Hill Road Bridge is located in southeastern Cavendish, just south of Vermont Route 131, which parallels the Black River on its northern bank. The river is at that point flowing roughly eastward, and the bridge is oriented north-south on modern concrete footings. The bridge is a low riveted pony truss structure, serving a few dead-end roads on the south side of the river.

Historic bridge

The historic bridge, in storage as of 2012,^[2] was a single-span Pratt through truss built out of wrought and cast iron with elements connected by pins. The bridge was 88 feet (27 m) in length, with a roadway width of 14 feet (4.3 m) (one lane), and a portal height of 11.5 feet (3.5 m). It was set on uncoursed fieldstone abutments.^[3]

The bridge was built in 1890 by the Groton Bridge Co., and is one of a small number of 19th-century pin-connected truss bridges in the state.^[3] The bridge was dismantled in 2007,^[4] and is in storage held by the Historic Bridges Program of the state, which is seeking a suitable location to place it.^[5]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Windsor County, Vermont
• List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Knoblock, Glenn. Historic Iron and Steel Bridges in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. p. 19. ISBN 9780786486991.
3. Hugh Henry (1982). "NRHP nomination for Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-07-12. with photos from 1982
4. "Iron Bridge at Howard Hill Road". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
5. Knoblock, p. 86