Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Slaughterhouse Bridge
 May 2011 |  May 2011 |
|---|---|
 May 2011 |  May 2011 |
The Slaughterhouse Bridge (or sometimes, the Slaughter House Bridge) sits just down the road from the three bridges on Cox Brook Road. Not surprisingly, the bridge was named for a slaughterhouse that once existed at the end of the road.
The write-up for this bridge is going to be brief as it seems to have existed with no major incidents since being built. Because the legal load limit is fairly high for a covered bridge, at least one written guide I consulted surmises that perhaps beams were added underneath for additional carrying capacity. Viewing the underside of the bridge is problematic, unless you are willing to do some bushwhacking or get wet, but from what I can tell, the bridge has not been altered.
Current Status: Open
Location: Northfield, on Slaughterhouse Road
Crosses: Dog River
GPS: 44.168558N, 72.654622W
Built: 1872 Length: 59.5 feet
Truss Design: Queenpost
WGN*: VT-12-09 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Visiting the bridge:
The Slaughterhouse Bridge can be easy to miss. Very easy. The "road" to the bridge is really only a one-lane dirt drive. And that's exactly what it looks like from the main road (Route 12). It looks like a driveway, not a road. Your GPS will be your best friend in pin-pointing exactly when you have to turn.
Once you do find the road, you will have to proceed with caution if on a motorcycle. The road is dirt and gravel, and not very wide. And downhill.
Just before crossing the bridge is a very small turnout where one vehicle (max) can park. On the other side is the head of an abandoned road that is now just a trail down to the riverbank. That might do for parking in a pinch.
As you can imagine, the road is not very busy, and if it is, it's because of bridge seekers like you. The bridge itself is fairly narrow, so there's not much room inside for vehicles and pedestrians to co-exist.