Swiftwater Covered Bridge
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Swiftwater Covered Bridge
| nrhp_type =
| image = SwiftwaterBridge01.JPG
| caption =
| location = Porter Rd., Bath, New Hampshire
| coordinates = {{coord|44|8|3|N|71|57|5|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = New Hampshire#USA
| built = {{start date|1849}}
| architecture = Paddleford truss
| added = November 21, 1976
| area = {{convert|0.1|acre|ha}}
| refnum = 76000127{{NRISref|2009a}}
}}
File:Swiftwater Covered Bridge NH NRHP 76000127.jpg
The Swiftwater Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge which carries Porter Road over the Wild Ammonoosuc River in Bath, New Hampshire. Built in 1849, it is one of New Hampshire's few surviving 19th-century covered bridges, and a well-preserved example of the Paddleford truss design. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Description and history
The Swiftwater Covered Bridge is located in southeastern Bath, carrying Porter Road over the Wild Ammonoosuc River just north of New Hampshire Route 112. It is a locally distinctive single-span Paddleford truss design, with laminated arches and steel beam reinforcements added in the 20th century. The bridge has an overall length of 173'8" and two clear spans of 77'6" and 57'6". The roadbed is 14'6" wide, with a vertical clearance of 12'9". It rests on lightly-mortared split granite abutments topped with concrete footings. The roof is made of corrugated metal, and the sides are sheathed in vertical planking to a height of eight feet, leaving an exposed area above. Its portals are also covered in vertical planking, but do not extend all the way to the ground.
The bridge, the fourth on the site, was built in 1849; the first two bridges, dating back to 1810, were washed away by floods. It was probably built under the auspices of Joseph Fifield and John Carbee, town officials responsible for its highways and bridges. Its design, an unpatented truss by New Hampshire native Peter Paddleford, may have been used due to local connections with Paddleford associates. The bridge is said to have survived the use of explosives to clear logjams in the area.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=76000127}}|title=NRHP nomination for Swiftwater Covered Bridge|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2014-04-16}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/bridges/p55.html|title=Swiftwater Bridge|publisher=New Hampshire DHR|accessdate=2014-04-16}}
See also
References
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External links
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{{NRHP in Grafton County, New Hampshire}}
Category:Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Category:Bridges completed in 1849
Category:Tourist attractions in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Category:Bridges in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Category:1849 establishments in New Hampshire
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire