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Bement, Merrimack County

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Inventory Number: NH/29-07-03
State of New Hampshire Number: 14
County: Merrimack County
Township: Bradford
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Bement
Crosses: West Branch, Warner River
Truss type: Paddleford Variation
Spans: 1
Length: 61'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1854
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N43 15.842
Longitude: W071 57.192
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.2 miles west of jct NH114 on NH103, then 200 feet left on Center Rd.

Bement Bridge, Bradford, Merrimack County, NH Built 1854
Bill Caswell Photo, May 2007

Bement Bridge, Bradford, Merrimack County, NH Built 1854
Henry A. Gibson Photo, April 2, 1949, NSPCB Archives

Bement Bridge, Bradford, Merrimack County, NH Built 1854
Bill Caswell Photo, March 3, 2014

Bement Bridge, Bradford, Merrimack County, NH Built 1854
Todd Clark Collection

Bement Bridge, Bradford, Merrimack County, NH Built 1854
Bill Caswell Photo, June 15, 2020

Comments:
8-panel truss. In 1790, town residents voted to build a bridge at this location. This bridge apparently stood until 1818 when it was voted to build a new bridge near "Samuel Bement’s". In 1854 the town voted to rebuild "Bement Bridge" and authorized the selectmen to borrow money for this purpose. According to a sign posted at the north portal of the bridge, $500 was spent to build the bridge in 1854. The bridge has a tradition of having been built by Stephen H. Long, a Hopkinton native and a member of the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers, and constructed entirely of hemlock, although no evidence was found to support or dispute the claim. It would seem more likely that Long's brother, Dr. Moses Long of neighboring Warner, might have had an active role in the bridge as a patent agent for his brother. Much of Colonel Long's bridge building experience came from his employment with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. While working for the railroad, he developed a plan for a new covered bridge truss that became nationally known as the Long truss. Long patented his design in 1830. In 1835 and 1837 he patented improvements to the design. The town extensively rebuilt the bridge in 1947. The bridge was closed in March 1968 and repaired by the state in 1969 for $24,478.14. One-third of the cost was borne by the town. Vehicular damage to the bridge was repaired in 1987 by the state at a cost of $2,000. A cracked floor beam was repaired by the town during the winter of 1989-1990. In May of 2020 the Bement Bridge was again in need of an overhaul – “… full replacement of the lower chord and deck, installation of new floor beams, replacing the deteriorated bridge truss members, siding replacement, new timber approach railing supported by cast-in-place concrete moment slabs, complete replacement of the north abutment with a new dry laid stone abutment and approach roadway reconstruction” The work was designed by Hoyle, Tanner and Associates, Inc. and carried out by Neil H. Daniels, Inc. of Ascutney, Vermont for a total of $1,244,450. The bridge was closed on July 13, 2020, moved off of its abutments on September 17, placed back on its new abutments on April 27, 2021 and dedicated on June 13, 2021. The Bement Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976.

Sources:
Marshall, Richard G.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges : A Link With Our Past, 1994, page 27
Bement Bridge NRHP Nomination form - http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/76000128.pdf
Knoblock, Glenn A.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges, 2002, pages 13, 82
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 50
Chandler, Kim Varney. Covered Bridges of New Hampshire, 2022, Pages 47-51

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