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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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Burkeville or Conway, Franklin 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/21-06-01
County: Franklin County
Township: Conway
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Burkeville or Conway
Crosses: South River
Truss type: Howe
Spans: 1
Length: 106'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1870
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N42 30.470
Longitude: W072 42.665
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 6.3 miles northwest of jct I-91 on MA116 (Exit 25), then just left on Poland Rd. At Burkeville.

Burkeville Bridge, Conway, Franklin County, MA Built 1870
Bill Caswell Photo, September 2007

Burkeville Bridge, Conway, Franklin County, MA Built 1870
Richard E. Roy Collection

Burkeville Bridge, Conway, Franklin County, MA Built 1870
William Maxant Photo, April 30, 1939, Harvard (MA) Historical Society

Comments:
On October 4, 1869, rain started falling and continued for the next 48 hours. Some sources mistakenly document this event as 1889 instead of 1869. The Tucker & Cook Reservoir, northwest of Burkeville was built in 1837, then enlarged in 1846 and 1866. The recently built granite dam was thought to be “infallibly permanent.” While the dam stood strong, the overwhelming force of the water washed out the wingwalls on the sides sending a wall of water into the already swollen South River washing away fourteen bridges downstream along with mills and homes. Although some sources note that the bridge was closed in 1939 after storm damage, The Springfield Daily Republican of Thursday, November 9, 1939 (page 10) stated that the “bridge suffered no damages in the hurricane or flood last year, but has become weakened from long use and the action of the elements.” In 1983 it was considered unsafe and closed to all traffic. Restoration was plagued by a series of delays including the contractor abandoning the project in 2000. The bridge was finally renovated in 2004 and 2005 by Stan Graton’s 3G Construction. When the work was finished, the state advised that the bridge remain closed to vehicle traffic due to its lack of steel and crash-tested guardrails. In July 2013, the state Department of Transportation informed the town that it was their decision whether to open the bridge to traffic. After consulting the police chief and highway superintendent, the Selectboard voted to allow traffic on the bridge for the first time in 28 years. On November 17, 2013, a celebration was held to re-open road.

Sources:
The Springfield Daily Republican of Thursday, November 9, 1939, page 10.
The Greenfield Recorder, November 13, 2013
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.. New England's Covered Bridges, 2004, pages 67-68
Burk, John. Covered Bridges of Massachusetts, 2010, Pages 54-57
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 39

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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