Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Kent's Corner Bridge
 August 2013 |  August 2013 |
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 August 2013 |
Current Status: Private
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Location: Calais, off Kent Hill Road
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Crosses: Curtis Brook
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GPS: 44.368892N, 72.48322W
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Built: 1994 Length: 22 feet
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Truss Design: Kingpost
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WGN*: VT-12-19#2 NRHP**: not eligible
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* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
One of the smallest authentically constructed covered bridges in Vermont is The Kent's Corner Bridge in Calais.
The Kent's Corner hamlet was once a thriving area due to a stage line that was established between Montreal and Boston. The large brick building located here, the Kent Inn, dates back to before the American Civil War and is a state historic site. The Kent's Corner district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
One of the descendants of the Kent family, Ira Rich Kent married Louise Andrews who became a columnist and the author of the Mrs. Appleyard series of cookbooks. They took possession of a home that was built by ancestor Remember Kent circa 1797. It was moved to its current location at 757 Kent Hill Road from the nearby intersection around 1810 and became the Kent's summer home. In 1946 a poured concrete dam was built behind the house to impound water from Curtis Brook into a pond.
Mrs. Kent thought it would be nice to have a covered bridge in the backyard of the home and one was built over the brook just upstream of the pond in 1963. This first bridge was not an authentic covered bridge because it was built using stringers rather than trusses. The home (and bridge) changed hands in 1990 and by then the bridge was in poor condition. It collapsed a few years later. Vermonter Jan Lewandoski, an accomplished timber framer who has had a hand in repairing several covered bridges, rebuilt the bridge in 1994 using an authentic kingpost truss design. It remains in fine condition.
Visiting the bridge:
Kent's Corners may have been bustling at one time, but that died out and this area remains accessible only via dirt roads. Motorcyclists wishing to reduce travel on dirt should approach from County Road, which is the nearest tarmac. From there, it is 7/10 of a mile to Kent's Corners.
As it is on private property, permission to access the bridge should be obtained. And as a "backyard bridge" there is also no parking for it. At the Kent Inn, there is a state historic marker and room to park. From there it is a short walk to the home behind which the bridge sits, tucked in the woods.
When I visited, the bridge was chained off with a private property sign, and it was being used as a shed of sorts. Please respect the owners and do not enter the bridge.
If you are interested in the history of Kent's Corners, and the buildings that make up the historic district, there is quite a bit of information on the Town of Calais web site.