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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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Lower, Bennington County

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Inventory Number: VT/45-02-18x
County: Bennington County
Township: Searsburg
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Lower
Crosses: Deerfield River
Truss type: Town
Spans: 1
Length:
Roadway Width:
Built: c1870
Builder:
When Lost: 12 Jun 1915
Cause: Collapsed
Latitude: N42 52.86
Longitude: W072 56.91
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: On Route 9 about 2 miles southeast of Searsburg village.

Lower Bridge, Searsburg, Bennington County, VT Built c1870
Margaret Foster Collection, NSPCB Archives

Lower Bridge, Searsburg, Bennington County, VT Built c1870
Brian J. McKee Collection

Comments:
This bridge was built in November 1869 after the previous bridge at this site was lost. It cost "over $2200." Per The Barre Daily Times, June 16, 1915, "The old covered bridge between Searsburg and Wilmington collapsed Saturday [12-Jun-1915] and fell into the river. No one was on it at the time, although two autos has passed over it earlier in the day. The bridge had been in use for 40 years."

Sources:
The Barre Daily Times, June 16, 1915.
Conwill, Joseph D.. Images of America - Vermont Covered Bridges, 2004, page 12
Connecticut River Valley Covered Bridge Society. Bulletin, Volume VII, No. 3, Winter 1961, page 3

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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