Bement Covered Bridge

Bement Covered Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Center Rd., Bradford, New Hampshire
Coordinates	43°15′51″N 71°57′13″W / 43.26417°N 71.95361°W / 43.26417; -71.95361
Area	0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built	1854 (1854)
NRHP reference No.	76000128[1]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1976

The Bement Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge on Center Road over the Warner River in Bradford, New Hampshire. A Long-truss bridge, it was built in 1854, and is one of New Hampshire's small number of surviving 19th-century covered bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.^[1]

The Bement Covered Bridge is located just south of Bradford's main village, carrying Center Road over the Warner River just south of New Hampshire Route 103 near the Bradford Pines Natural Area. It is a single-span structure with a unique truss design, with a roadway length of 63 feet (19 m), a roof length of 71 feet 2 inches (21.69 m), and a roadway width of 19 feet 2.5 inches (5.855 m), sufficient for one lane of traffic. It rests on stone abutments that have been partially faced and topped with concrete. It is covered by a gabled roof, and its sidewalls are clad in vertical board siding. The gable ends above the portals (which are 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) in clearance) are finished in wooden clapboards.^[2]

This bridge was built in 1854 for $500, and is the third bridge to occupy the site. Although it has long been thought that the patentee of the trusses, Stephen Long, was responsible for its construction, there is no documentary support for this. It is possible that Long's brother, Dr. Moses Long, a resident of nearby Warner, may have played a role in its construction as an agent for his brother. The bridge is named for local resident Samuel Bement, whose property the second (1818) bridge was identified as being near in town records. The bridge has undergone several restorations, including in 1947 and 1968-69. It provides access to only a modest number of residences.^[2]

The bridge was upgraded and restored in 2020-21 by Daniels Construction of Ascutney, VT. The budget of $1.65 million was mostly paid for by state and federal funds, with Bradford contributing approximately $205,000.^[3]

• List of New Hampshire covered bridges
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire
• List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire

Media related to Bement Bridge (Bradford, New Hampshire) at Wikimedia Commons

• Bement Bridge, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources