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Arthur Smith, Franklin County

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Inventory Number: MA/21-06-03#2
County: Franklin County
Township: Colrain
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Arthur Smith
Crosses: North River
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 1
Length: 98'
Roadway Width:
Built: 2006
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N42 40.194
Longitude: W072 43.135
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 1.2 miles southwest of Colrain at jct of MA112 (Main Rd.) and Greenfield Rd., then 0.1 miles right on Lyonsville Rd.

Arthur Smith Bridge, Colrain, Franklin County, MA Built 2006
Bill Caswell Photo, September 2007

Arthur Smith Bridge, Colrain, Franklin County, MA Built 2006
Bill Caswell Photo, April 21, 2014

Arthur Smith Bridge, Colrain, Franklin County, MA Built 2006
Bill Caswell Photo, September 2007

Arthur Smith Bridge, Colrain, Franklin County, MA Built 2006
Bill Caswell Photo, April 21, 2014

Comments:
The previous bridge at this location was originally built over the North River between Shattuckville and Griswoldville where it was known as the Fox-Temple Bridge (MA/21-06-13). It was abandoned shortly after 1890 when the main road from Shelburne Falls to Colrain was routed along the west side of Temple Farm to Griswoldville. In 1895 or 1896, the open bridge at Lyonsville collapsed under the weight of a herd of cattle being driven across by Arthur Smith’s hired hand. The town fathers decided to move the abandoned Fox Brdge to the site. The pieces were numbered and the bridge dismantled, moved and re-erected at the new site. In 1920, planked arches were added to give it extra strength. It stood as the Arthur Smith Bridge (MA/21-06-03). It was extensively repaired in 1955-1956. It was closed to traffic in 1981 and removed from its abutments in 1991 and placed between two corn fields at the end of Lyonsville Road. In 2006, this bridge was built using some of the old material. It was originally only open to pedestrian traffic and then opened to vehicular travel in Fall 2020.

Sources:
Connecticut River Valley Covered Bridge Society. Bulletin, Volume III, no. 2 & 3, Fall 1956 / Winter 1957, page 4
Burk, John. Covered Bridges of Massachusetts, 2010, Page 54
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 39

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