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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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, Caledonia County

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Inventory Number: VT/45-03-45x
County: Caledonia County
Township: St. Johnsbury
Town/Village: St. Johnsbury Center
Bridge Name:
Crosses: Passumpsic River
Truss type: Long
Spans: 1
Length:
Roadway Width:
Built:
Builder:
When Lost: 02 Mar 1902
Cause:
Latitude: N44 27.25
Longitude: W072 01.01
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: Depot Hill Road at St. Johnsbury Center.

St. Johnsbury, Caledonia County, VT
Todd Clark Collection

Comments:
By the time of a 1915 flood involving the Bacon bridge upstream (VT-03-41), the bridge near the railroad station was described as an iron bridge. Per the St. Johnsbury Caledonian, March 5, 1902, "At the Center. St. Johnsbury Center experienced the most disastrous flood in its history Saturday [March 1, 1902] and Sunday [March 2, 1902]. Ice in the Passumpsic partly broke up Saturday afternoon and caused a big jam above the village and several between that place and this village. Thus the village was in danger from two sides. The water rose to an unusual height Saturday, and several families along the river left their houses. The river was anxiously watched all day Sunday, for trouble was expected when the upper ice blockade broke. This came about three o'clock Monday morning [March 3, 1902] when great blocks of ice coming down the river bad piled against the covered bridge near the depot, until that structure was swept from its abutments and carried bodily down the river. It came swiftly down, crushing trees, branches and everything in its way. It was feared that the Hastings street bridge would meet the same fate when the floating structure reached it, for there is a strong current just above that point and the bridge came swiftly. Fortunately, however, the structure struck the stone wall on the south side of the river and turning struck the Hastings bridge broadside, collapsing without doing any particular damage."

Sources:
The St. Johnsbury Caledonian, March 5, 1902.
NSPCB Archives, Richard Sanders Allen Collection, Paper Files, Vermont Lists & Maps, Folder 1

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