Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Stony Brook Bridge
 June 2017 |  June 2017 |
|---|---|
 June 2017 |  August 2013 |
Current Status: Open
Location: Northfield, on Stony Brook Road
Crosses: Stony Brook
GPS: 44.120361N, 72.689206W
Built: 1899 Length: 36.5 feet
Truss Design: Kingpost
WGN*: VT-12-07 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Here is another example of a covered bridge that is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. The Stony Brook Bridge gets its name pretty obviously from the waterway it crosses and the road it's on. However, it is also known as the Moseley Bridge for the man who built it.
This bridge is one of the few kingpost truss bridges left in the state. But on closer inspection, it can be seen that this truss has been altered from the tradition design.
Typically, the floor system is built upon the bottom chord of the truss which means you never see the bottom chord very easily from inside the bridge. In this case, the bottom chord is quite visible just above the floor level. One guide I consulted says that this is because there was a second lower chord that the kingpost and diagonals were tied into, and the floor was built on that lower chord. There is evidence to support this, as the kingposts do project through the visible chord and downward to where a second chord probably existed at one time.
This bridge, like others in the area, received strengthening with the addition of steel beams underneath (1971). It appears be the case that the second, lower, chord was removed in the process. The floor has been separated from the trusses and the beams are bearing the load. The beams are also helping to support the trusses as well.
Visiting the bridge:
Stony Brook Road starts out as a paved road off of Route 12A, but it doesn't stay that way. I found the dirt section was packed down well both times that I have visited, and there is only about a half-mile of it.
There is no parking established at the bridge. On the southern end, just before you cross it, there is a private driveway forking off into the woods. Here, the road widens a little bit and you may be able to take advantage of this. A little ways prior to the bridge is a picnic area of sorts where you might be able park, but it seemed be a little sketchy to me.
Since the road is not very busy, you could probably just park on the side without blocking what little traffic there is.