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Vermont Covered Bridge Guide
Vermont Covered Bridges by Region &
History of Covered Bridges
The Dummerston Covered Bridge
Whether in daily use or simply there to be explored, Vermont covered bridges are a unique feature of the Vermont landscape, taking us back to a distant time and place. This guide will provide your with Vermont covered bridge locations, short descriptions and covered bridge photographs. There are more covered bridges per square mile in Vermont than any other place in the world, with 107 authentic covered bridges located throughout the state.
| Vermont Covered Bridges Guide by Region |
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Click Vermont map on region of interest.
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Champlain Valley Vermont Covered Bridges
Burlington, Middlebury, St. Albans, the Islands of NW Vermont |
North Central Vermont Covered Bridges
Montpelier, Barre, Randolph, Waterbury, Stowe, Mad River Valley |
Northeast Kingdom VT Covered Bridges
St. Johnsbury, Newport, Barton, Lyndonville, Burke, Jay, Island Pond |
South Central Vermont Covered Bridges
Rutland, White River Jct., Woodstock, Quechee, Brandon, Killington |
Southern Vermont Covered Bridges
Bennington, Brattleboro, Manchester, Ludlow, Arlington, Newfane |
A Brief History of Covered Bridges
To pay for the construction of a covered bridge, many Vermont towns charged a bridge toll. In the 1800s it was not uncommon to be charged the following bill of fare to cross a covered bridge:
| 1800s Covered Bridge Bill of Fare |
| A man on foot |
1 cent |
| A man on horseback |
4 cents |
| A one- horse carriage |
10 cents |
| A carriage drawn by more than one horse |
20 cents |
| Cattle |
1 cent - driver free |
| Sheep or swine |
1/2 cent - driver free |
Covered bridge builders used several different types of truss frames in their construction. Even today you will often see a sign at a covered bridge entrance asking horsemen to have their horses cross the bridge at a walk. The reason was not so much to avoid accidents as to keep the bridge from bouncing up and down causing even more damage than an overweight load might do.
Covered bridges were considered to be great boxing rings, which is why Norwich University moved from Norwich to Northfield, Vermont in an attempt to stop the Ledyard Bridge boxing bouts between their students and those of Dartmouth College.
Click on the maps below to visit Vermont Covered Bridges by Region
- Northwestern Vermont Covered Bridges Burlington, Middlebury, Morrisville, St. Albans
- North Central Vermont Covered Bridges Montpelier, Barre, Randolph, Waterbury
- Northeast Kingdom Vermont Covered Bridges St. Johnsbury, Newport, Jay, Hardwick, Lyndonville
- South Central Vermont Covered Bridges Rutland, White River Junction, Windsor, Springfield
- Southern Vermont Covered Bridges Bellows Falls, Bennington, Brattleboro, Townsend
Comments, updates and additions to our database are welcome.
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