ROWELL'S BRIDGE
Hopkinton, New Hampshire

Location:

North of N.H. Route 127 on Clement Hill Road over the Contoocook River in West Hopkinton.

Style of Bridge:

Combination of Long truss with Burr arches

Year of Construction:

1853

Original Cost:

$300.25

Structural Characteristics:

The bridge is 164'6" long with a clear span of 153'6". It has an overall width of 21'1" with a roadway width of 14'9" and a maximum vertical clearance of 13'5". A pier was added in 1930 but the top of the pier was soon removed. The structure is posted for six tons.

Maintained By:

Town of Hopkinton

World Guide Number:

29-07-08

New Hampshire Number:

9

           

Historical Remarks:

The bridge was built by Horace Childs of Henniker with the help of his brothers Enoch and Warren. The Burr type construction is unusual in that solid timber arches are fitted end to end and bolted to the side timbers to form the basic design. Most arches in other designs are laminated. A short time after it was constructed, a herd of cattle, driven faster than they should have been, moved the bridge off its abutments. The structure was brought back and securely fastened in place. Around 1930, a central pier was placed under the structure to strengthen the bridge, but under heavy loading, the bridge teetered. The top of the pier was removed and the bridge was found to function adequately without it. The structure was rebuilt by the state in 1965 at a cost of $9,521. It was rehabilitated in June of 1982 by the state for a cost of $9,000. The Antiquarian Society in Hopkinton has a demonstration model of a Long truss on display. The Rowell's Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Table of Contents

New Hampshire Bridges

New Hampshire Covered Bridges
Compiled and edited by
Richard G. Marshall
Chief System Planning
New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Color photographs by Arthur F. Rounds
1994