Mount Orne Covered Bridge


The Mount Orne Bridge is a covered bridge over the Connecticut River between Lancaster, New Hampshire, and Lunenburg, Vermont. It joins Elm Street in South Lancaster with River Road in Lunenburg. Built in 1911, it is one of two Howe truss bridges across the Connecticut River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Description and history

The Mount Orne Covered Bridge is located in a rural area of eastern Lunenburg and southwestern Lancaster. It spans the Connecticut River in a roughly northwest-southeast orientation. It consists of two spans of wood-and-iron Howe trusses, resting on stone abutments and piers which have been partially faced in concrete. The overall length of the bridge is, with the western span measuring and the eastern span one foot less. The bridge has an overall width of, with a roadway of. The bridge is covered by a corrugated metal gable roof, and is sided in vertical boarding that extends only partway to the eaves. The siding extends around to the insides of the portals.
The bridge was built in 1911 by the Berlin Construction Company, replacing one that was washed away by flooding in 1905. It is one of only two Howe truss bridges over the Connecticut River; the other, the Columbia Bridge, was built in 1912. The two bridges are among the last to be built during the historic period of covered bridge construction in either state. The costs of construction and maintenance are shared by the two towns. The most recent rededication of the bridge took place on November 23, 1983.