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Matthew Farfan
 There
are twenty-two authentic covered bridges remaining in the Eastern
Townships. To that total may be added two semi-authentic recreations
of recent vintage. A century ago, there were hundreds of covered
bridges all across the region. Most villages had at least one; some
had several. They dotted the back roads as well, crossing brooks
and rivers of all sizes. Very few, however, have survived the ravages
of time.
Opposite: Covered bridge near Adamsville. (Photo:
Matthew Farfan)
The harsh climate, arson, motor vehicle accidents, neglect, floods,
casual vandalism, and replacement by modern structures, have all
taken their toll. In the last few years alone, an alarming number
of these bridges have disappeared. And some of the ones that do
remain are in very poor repair. Whether or not they survive depends
largely on our desire to preserve them.
People have
often speculated about why bridges were covered in the first place.
Some believe that roofs were designed to provide travellers and
their horses with shelter when it rained or snowed. Others think
that the walls and a roof were there so that horses would not see
the turbulent waters below. Folklore has it that sweethearts would
rendezvous in covered bridges; hence the common nickname "kissing
bridge." The real reason for covering a bridge with a roof
and walls, however, was far less romantic. It was to protect the
bridge's structure from the elements.
A simple open
bridge composed of beams ("stringers") and decking had
a very limited life expectancy - perhaps ten  or
twenty years. After that it would begin to rot and sag. A bridge
with a "truss"(a superstructure of interlocking timbers
designed to support whatever weight was put upon the deck) would
not only be much more solid, but would last longer as well. Yet,
although the sagging would be impeded, the elements would eventually
still cause the bridge to rot. However, if the bridge were protected
with a roof and walls, its life could be prolonged by as much as
ten times that of an open span, whose timber beams, flooring, and
trusses would be constantly exposed to the weather.
Covered bridge, Sawyerville. Arsoned in 2001. (Photo: Matthew Farfan)
Covered bridges
have existed for centuries. The oldest survivors are in Europe, and
date to the Middle Ages. Colonists who came to the New World in the
17th and 18th centuries are thought to have brought the technology
with them. As a result, covered bridges have been built in virtually
every part of the United States, as well as in Quebec, Ontario, and
the Maritimes. It was the Americans, in the 19th century, who truly
perfected the science of the covered bridge. Throughout the 1800s,
an array of inventors and engineers came up with an impressive repertoire
of truss designs. They realized that the truss was the most important
part of a bridge. The stronger the truss, the longer the covered bridge
would last. Many of these men gave their names to their inventions:
Moses Long, Herman Haupt, Theodore Burr, Peter Paddleford, William
Howe, Willis Pratt, and Ithiel Town are some of the better known designers.
Today in the
Eastern Townships, there are three basic types of covered bridge
that have survived (see diagram). The most common is the "Town
Truss," patented by Ithiel Town in 1820.
Town Truss (Source: Société québécoise
des ponts couverts)
Two other types,
extinct elsewhere in Quebec, are the unpatented "Multiple Kingpost"
truss, and the "Howe" truss, also unpatented, but named
after its inventor, William Howe.
Multiple Kingpost
Truss (Source: Société québécoise des
ponts couverts)
Howe Truss (Source:
Société québécoise des ponts couverts)
The region numbers
two Howe truss bridges and three Multiple Kingposts. All the others
are variations of the Town truss.
Quebec now numbers
just over ninety covered bridges, some built as late as the 1950s.The
Eastern Townships are home to some of the oldest and most picturesque
in the Province.
The following
is a list of authentic covered bridges in the Eastern Townships:
1) Warwick. (Private bridge). Des Pins River. Town Truss. 1908.
2) Saint-Rémi-de-Tingwick. (Private bridge). Laflamme Brook.
1904.
3) Saint-Éphrem. (Private bridge; moved from its original
location after a fire). Town Truss. 1933.
4) Sainte-Clothilde. Dupuis-Fortin River.Town Truss. 1937.
5) Adamsville. Yamaska River. Town Truss. 1932.
6) Adamsville. Yamaska River. Town Truss. 1938.
7) Mansonville (Potton). Mud Creek, Town Truss. 1896.
8) Compton. Massawippi River. Multiple Kingpost Truss.
9) Eustis (Compton Station). Massawippi River. Multiple Kingpost
Truss. 1908.
10) Cookshire. Eaton River. Town Truss. 1868.
11) Eaton Township. North Eaton River. Multiple Kingpost. 1886.
12) Gould. Au Saumon River. Town Truss. 1893.
13) Saint-Isodore-d'Aukland. Eaton River. Town Truss. 1930. Arsoned
in 2001.
14) Drummondville. Village québécois d'antan. Howe
Truss. 1878. (Moved from Stanbridge East in 1983 to its present
location).
15) Sainte-Agathe-de-Lotbinière. Palmer River. Town Truss.
1928.
16) Sainte-Sophie. Bulstrode River. Town Truss. 1948.
17) Saint-Armand. Groat Creek. Town Truss. 1845.
18) Cowansville. Yamaska River. Town Truss. c.1870.
19) Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge. Aux Brochets River. Howe Truss. 1884.
20) Valcourt. (Private bridge). Brady River. Town Truss. 1888.
21) Capelton. Massawippi River. Town Truss with Multiple Kingpost
added. c.1870. Arsoned in 2002.
22) Milby. Moe's River. Town Truss. 1873.
23) Fitch Bay. Narrows of Lake Memphremagog. Town Truss. 1881.
Recent semi-authentic
covered bridges have been built at the following locations:
24) Ulverton. Adjacent to the Ulverton Woolen Mill. Ulverton River.
Town Truss, with steel I-beams. 1994.
25) Coaticook. Located in the Gorge de Coaticook Park. Town Truss,
with steel I-beams. Coaticook River. 1998.
Visit any or all
of the region's historic covered bridges.
The following organizations have covered bridges on-site or nearby:
Village québécois
d'antan, Capelton
Mines, Ulverton
Woolen Mill
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