July 2005
Cornish New Hampshire - Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge
We continued south on NH12A and came upon the mother of all covered bridges. The Windsor-Cornish bridge was built in 1866 and is a Town Lattice Truss type spanning 450' across the Connecticut River. There were three bridges previously built on this site in 1796, 1824 and 1828. The first bridges were destroyed by floods. The current bridge was built by James Tasker and Bela Fletcher. It was framed on a nearby meadow northwest of the site and later moved to its proper location. In 1935, the New Hampshire General Court authorized funds to purchase the bridge. The structure was purchased by the state in 1936 and operated it as a toll bridge until June 1, 1943. After renovation by the state in 1954, the Cornish Windsor Bridge suffered damage from flood water and ice in 1977. It was repaired again by the state for $25,000. Because of its deteriorated condition, it was closed to traffic on July 2, 1987. The bridge was reconstructed by the state in 1989 at a cost of $4,450,000 and was opened to traffic on December 8, 1989. This is the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world. The American Society of Civil Engineers designated it as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970. The bridge is featured on the Town Bicentennial Medal struck in 1976. The Cornish-Windsor Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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