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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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West Berlin or Browns, Washington 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: VT/45-12-24x
County: Washington County
Township: Berlin
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: West Berlin or Browns
Crosses: Dog River
Truss type: Queen
Spans: 1
Length: 50'
Roadway Width:
Built: c1830
Builder:
When Lost: 05 Mar 1958
Cause: Collapsed
Latitude: N44 13.738
Longitude: W072 36.052
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Topographic map of the area
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West Berlin or Browns Bridge, Berlin, Washington County, VT Built c1830 Lost 1958
Richard E. Roy Collection

West Berlin or Browns Bridge, Berlin, Washington County, VT Built c1830 Collapsed Mar 1958
Louis B. Puffer Collection

West Berlin or Browns Bridge, Berlin, Washington County, VT Built c1830 Collapsed 5 Mar 1958
Todd Clark Collection

Comments:
Per the Montpelier Evening Argus, October 21, 1931, "James Frost and Morris are repairing the covered bridge at Brown's Mills. Two wheels of the heavy truck of W. J. Doyle crashed through the planking when the household goods of G. H. Clarke were being brought to his new home." Per The Barre Daily Times, March 8, 1958, the West Berlin bridge over Dog River collapsed under a heavy snow load, stranding two families temporarily. It had been abandoned for close to 20 years and was thought to have been built between 1791 and 1795. The road on which it stood led from Northfield Road to Berlin Corner. Per the Montpelier Evening Argus, March 7, 1958, the bridge was about 3 miles out from Montpelier on a road leading to the left just before the underpass on SR12 (apparently referring to the railroad bridge over the road).

Sources:
The Barre Daily Times, March 8, 1958.
Montpelier Evening Argus, October 21, 1931.
Conwill, Joseph D.. Images of America - Vermont Covered Bridges, 2004, page 89

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