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Happy Corner, Coös County

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Inventory Number: NH/29-04-01
State of New Hampshire Number: 35
County: Coös County
Township: Pittsburg
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Happy Corner
Crosses: Perry Stream
Truss type: Paddleford & Arch
Spans: 1
Length: 78'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1869
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N45 05.055
Longitude: W071 18.803
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 5.6 miles northeast of jct NH145 ( Mill St.) and Pittsburg on US3 (Daniel Webster Hwy), then 0.2 miles right on Hill Rd.

Happy Corner Bridge, Pittsburg, Coös County, NH Built 1869
Richard E. Roy Collection

Happy Corner Bridge, Pittsburg, Coös County, NH Built 1869
Bill Caswell Collection

Happy Corner Bridge, Pittsburg, Coös County, NH Built 1869
Bill Caswell Photo, September 27, 2013

Happy Corner Bridge, Pittsburg, Coös County, NH Built 1869
Bill Caswell Photo, September 27, 2022

Comments:
8-panel truss. Happy Corner was a bustling neighborhood in the late 1800s. At the Perry Stream crossing there was a sawmill, a starch mill, a store with a post office, a barbershop, and the Temperance Hall. Nearby was the Danforth School. It has been stated by the Pittsburg Historical Society that before the building of the bridge, people used to ford the stream just upstream, where the water was shallow. The following story is one of several that tell how the bridge got its name. There was an elderly gentleman who lived in a house which is still standing on the northeast corner of the crossroads. This gentleman liked to sing and dance, and he owned a Victrola which he played frequently. People congregated at his house generally had a "happy" time singing and dancing. That's why the crossroads was called Happy Corner. Happy Corner Bridge is one of the oldest covered bridges in northern New Hampshire. In the mid 1960s, it was repaired by the state at a cost of $12,000. The cost of the repairs was shared by the town of Pittsburg and the state. The Happy Corner Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sources:
Marshall, Richard G.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges : A Link With Our Past, 1994, page 67
Knoblock, Glenn A.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges, 2002, page 72
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 46
Chandler, Kim Varney. Covered Bridges of New Hampshire, 2022, Pages 138-139

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