National Register of Historic Places

East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge

Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
Listed
June 12, 1974
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
74000198

About this property

The East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge is a historic covered bridge spanning the Lemon Fair River near East Shoreham, Vermont. Built in 1897 by the Rutland Railroad Company, it is the state's only surviving example of a wooden Howe truss railroad bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The East Shoreham Bridge is located in a rural area of southeastern Shoreham, on the Lemon Fair River. It is located about 0.2 miles (0.32 km) west of the Shoreham-Depot Road, and is accessible on foot via the former railroad right-of-way, now (along with the bridge) a state-owned property. It is a single-span Howe truss structure, 109 feet (33 m) in length, and set on dry-laid stone abutments faced in concrete. The trusses consist of wooden diagonals and iron rod verticals. The bridge has a total width of 20 feet (6.1 m) and an internal width of 13.5 feet (4.1 m). The railroad tracks, which have been removed, were original laid directly on the deck timbers. The bridge's exterior consists of vertical board siding covered by a metal roof. The bridge was built in 1897 by the Rutland Railroad Company for service on its Addison Branch line. Because of the line's relatively light traffic, it was not judged necessary to go to the expense of building an iron bridge, resulting in the construction of one of the state's few surviving 19th-century covered railroad bridges. It remained in service until 1951, when the line was abandoned. The state acquired the bridge and surrounding land in 1972. List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Vermont List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places listings in Addison County, Vermont Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. VT-32, "Shoreham Railroad Bridge, Former Addison County Railroad (later, Rutland Railroad, Addison Branch), spanning Lemon Fair River above Richville Pond, west of East Shoreham Road, Shoreham, Addison County, VT", 7 photos, 3 color transparencies, 5 measured drawings, 9 data pages, 1 photo caption page

Location

Shoreham, Addison County, Vermont
43.85920, -73.25555

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Shoreham Congregational Church
Industrial
3.4 mi
House at 215 School Street
Early Republic
3.7 mi
First Congregational Church
Industrial
4.4 mi
Witherell Farm
Listed
4.6 mi
Sudbury Congregational Church
Industrial
4.9 mi

Nearby Battles

Attack on Fort Carillon Bridge (1756)
1756Colonial
5.8 mi
Battle of Fort Carillon Approaches (1758)
1758Colonial
6.1 mi
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (1759)
1759Colonial
6.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge listed on the National Register?

East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 12, 1974.

What type of historic resource is East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge?

East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge?

The period of significance for East Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

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