Tootin' Our Horn

Normally, we don't bother with those awards you see all over some websites. We've been offered a number of them, but they are generally meaningless link exchanges, so we simply say, "Thanks, but no thanks."

This one, however, is different. We actually put a lot of effort into something and have been recognized for it.

Thanks to a group of Vermont photographers (including myself), Virtual Vermont Internet Magazine can present this collection of photographs and historical information on Vermont's Covered Bridges.

StudyWeb took a look at it and liked it so much that they have included this feature in their Architecture section, calling it "one of the best educational resources on the Web."

Additionally, National Geographic saw Dave MacKenzie's photo of the Cooley Bridge, and liked it enough to buy it for use in one of their magazines.

Our thanks to Dave, Tom Hildreth and Rick Bersaw for the photography, and to StudyWeb for the recognition.

Matt Wills

Short, long, red, white, brown, open, closed, with windows or without, there are covered bridges throughout Vermont. They are among our most popular attractions.

Why were bridges covered? Quite simply, for protection from the elements. Not for the people crossing them, but for the bridge itself. The easily replaced enclosures provided protection for the structural members and roadbed.

The following listing is sorted by County, Town and Bridge Name (current commonly used name, followed by known historical names). The Map link next to the county name will bring you to a map pinpointing the bridge locations in that county; the Town Name is a link to our Virtual Vermont Town Page.

Want to learn more?

Check out Ed Barna's
Covered Bridges of Vermont

March 22, 2008