Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Kingsley Bridge
Current Status: Open
Location: Clarendon, on East Street
Crosses: Mill River
GPS: 43.52379N, 72.940986W
Built: 1870 Length: 120.5 feet
Truss Design: Town lattice
WGN*: VT-11-03 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
The Kingsley Grist Mill Historic District in Clarendon, Vermont is home to a grist mill and covered bridge (amongst other buildings). The Kingsley's owned several different mills in this area and thus the bridge that was built acquired their name. It has also been known as the Mill River Bridge, for the river it crosses.
It is interesting to note that famed bridge builder Nichols Powers (whose name has already popped up on these pages if you have been reading them in order) lived in Clarendon, but he did not build the Kingsley Bridge. Although, after he built his last bridge in 1880 (the Brown Bridge) he decided to build a mill... the Kingsley Grist Mill.
As sign on the bridge claims it was built in 1836, but some records show this to be incorrect and that it was actually built in 1870.
The bridge has seen some repairs over the years, but nothing major in the past 25 years or so. It remains largely as it was built. Cables have been installed on each corner of the bridge to anchor it against strong winds whipping down the valley. The bridge sits among several homes and the pride of the residents is evident as the guardrails leading to the bridge are decorated with well-kept flower boxes.
On August 28, 2011, at the height of the flooding and devastation caused by Tropical Storm Irene, it was put out onto the internet that the Kingsley Grist Mill had succumbed to flood waters, falling into the Mill River and taking the covered bridge out with it. Luckily, this was not the case, and was probably sparked by a firefighter's prediction that it was likely to happen. Perhaps that firefighter was not aware that the mill had survived the more devastating Flood of 1927. Floodwaters did indeed rise very fast and seriously undermined the foundation of the mill which was built pretty much into the river. However, Powers' design and construction held out and the mill survived (once again), with only a bare minimum of large support posts remaining to hold it up.
Visiting the bridge:
While the bridge is only a stone's throw from the Rutland Regional Airport, it is situated in a bucolic wooded area. Don't be fooled by the name of the road the bridge is on (East Street). While the northern end of the bridge has pavement leading up to it, the southern end turns to dirt. Some "street" indeed. Perhaps when this hamlet was bustling with mills, the road was more of a street than it is now.
It would be most logical to travel to the bridge on Gorge Road/River Road which is accessed via US Route 7. However, if you are on a motorcycle, you will find that this road is fairly narrow, with a surface of soft dirt, and meanders through thick woods along the river. If you want to avoid the dirt, you'll want to arrive from the other end (via Airport Road) which is paved.
Parking is non-existent at the bridge due to it being surrounded by residences. I just parked on the side of the road with my motorcycle, which doesn't impede traffic. Parking a car in this manner would not be recommended. As of this writing (January 2017), the Kingsley Grist Mill is available for rent on AirBnB. Parking at the mill is reserved for the owners and guests, and thus should not be used for bridge access. I'm afraid I can't help you out much more than that. Just remember to be safe and considerate when finding a place to park.
Despite being on a "street", I found traffic to be next to nothing here, so crossing the bridge on foot should not be too much of a problem. But note that this is a very narrow bridge with not much room inside for both pedestrians and vehicles together.