Spanning Time: New Hampshire's Covered Bridges & the Old Man of the Mountain

by Irene E. DuPont

Spanning Time is inspired by the era going back to the 1800s when the White Mountains began to occupy a special place in the history of America. Men discovered the picturesque highlands of the mountains, which formed a relatively compact geographic area and chain with the Appalachian Mountains—the glacier-worn peaks dominated by the Old Man of the Mountain, Indian Head, and Mount Washington. The covered bridge is an intrinsic part of our New England heritage. The Northeast acknowledges 192 covered bridges; 59 of these spans dot New Hampshire’s granite mountains and pined forests. The state’s covered bridges are representative of the various styles of crossings used in early New England. These pathways were a tribute to the great advances in bridge engineering of the day. The covered roadways also offered communities early billboard advertising. The local merchants posted signs for powders, potions, and cures. County fairs, political rallies, and church socials vied for wall space. And let us not forget the appeal of the covered bridge to young lovers. The “kissing bridge” afforded couples a quick embrace or stolen kiss in the darkness of its cover.

80 pages, Paperback

Published December 20, 2017

Reviews

[Trike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I perused this the other night while waiting for everyone to get settled before the town meeting at the TV station. There isn’t much text, which is probably a good thing given what’s there. DuPont is of an older generation, either pre-Baby Boomer or from the very first wave in 1945-46, and her comments reflect this. Specifically when she says that men first discovered the beauty of the White Mountains in early 1800s. Erm… Native Americans have lived here anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 years, so…. Given all the Abenaki names of the rivers these bridges cross (Contoocook, Ammonoosuc, Pemigewasset, Chocorua, etc.), you’d think that would stand out to her.

Anyway, this is a basic compendium of all the covered bridges in New Hampshire, with photographs of each, their location, and a bit of history, typically just a line or two. While the photos are not especially artistic, they do (mostly) give you a sense of each structure, and the tidbits are interesting.