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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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Upper Sheffield, Berkshire County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: MA/21-02-01x
County: Berkshire County
Township: Sheffield
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Upper Sheffield
Crosses: Housatonic River
Truss type: Town
Spans: 1
Length: 93'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1854
Builder:
When Lost: 13 Aug 1994
Cause: Arson
Latitude: N42 07.435
Longitude: W073 21.278
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.8 north of main intersection in Sheffield on US7, then 0.2 miles right on Covered Bridge Lane. Opposite Cook Road.

Upper Sheffield Bridge, Sheffield, Berkshire County, MA Built 1832 Arson, Rebuilt 13 Aug 1994
Todd Clark Collection

Upper Sheffield Bridge, Sheffield, Berkshire County, MA Built 1832 Arson, Rebuilt 13 Aug 1994
Richard E. Roy Collection, NSPCB Archives

Upper Sheffield Bridge, Sheffield, Berkshire County, MA Built 1854 Arson 13 Aug 1994
Jerry Russell Collection

Comments:
The former covered bridge at this location is often listed as being built in 1832. According to an historical marker at the site, the Sheffield Bridge was ordered to be built in 1854. At a meeting in late 1853 the Sheffield Selectmen were directed to advertise for proposals. They were voted full power to move forward and make contracts, as they placed ads in the Berkshire Courier for bids from bridge builders. The covered bridge was built on the west bank of the Housatonic and then rolled out and anchored to position over the water on the abutments. In the 1950s the Town truss bridge over the Housatonic River was repaired, and new siding was put on the north side. In 1967 the capacity was limited to three tons, and in 1974 the bridge was closed to all vehicular traffic. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1978. Extensive authentic restoration was carried out in 1981 by Milton Graton, assisted by his son Arnold and grandson Arnold, Jr., as well as by Sheffield residents who appreciated the painstaking construction methods of the old-time craftsman. The reconstruction was engineered by David Fischetti. The bridge was burned during the early morning of August 13, 1994. A replacement was built by Wright Construction of Mount Holly, Vermont, in 1998 at a cost of roughly $525,000. The new span was dedicated on March 19, 1999.

Sources:
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.. New England's Covered Bridges, 2004, page 61
Burk, John. Covered Bridges of Massachusetts, 2010, Pages 11-17

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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