Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
South Pomfret Bridge
 August 2014 |  August 2014 |
|---|---|
 August 2014 |
Current Status: Private
Location: Pomfret, on a private drive
Crosses: Barnard Brook
GPS: 43.661173N, 72.537682W
Built: 1870/1973 Length: 38 feet
Truss Design: Town lattice
WGN*: VT-14-18 NRHP**: not eligible
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
The South Pomfret Bridge is another of those that was saved from destruction, but it is only half of its former self.
While more popularly known as the Smith Bridge, the owners dubbed it the Teago/South Pomfret Bridge, for nearby Teago Hill and the area of town it is located in. Since it is not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, it has no "official" name, but South Pomfret seems to be more prevalent.
In 1973 there existed a bridge in the Garfield hamlet of North Hyde Park, Vermont that was a 100-foot long Town lattice structure no longer in use.
This bridge is half of it.
The Garfield Bridge was purchased by a developer, Thurston Twigg-Smith, who divided the bridge in two, with plans to use each half as an entrance to separate housing developments he was planning. One half was installed in West Windsor, named the Twigg-Smith bridge, and served its intended purpose until it was destroyed in a windstorm. The residents of the development, did not rebuild and replaced it with a concrete stringer bridge.
The other half, this half, was installed in its current location by Twigg-Smith, but the development never materialized. The land was subsequently purchased and the bridge remains as a private entrance to the owner's homestead.
Visiting the bridge:
I didn't get a chance to interact with the owners, but despite being posted as a private drive, one printed covered bridge guide reports that the owners are open to people visiting as long as you DON'T drive over the bridge, or block the driveway.
When I visited, there was a cooler on the near end of the bridge with a sign advertising eggs for sale. A good sign that visitors are welcome, as long as you respect the property.
The driveway is not paved and there is no official parking area, but I found the grass to be neatly mown at the entrance in order for visitors to park.