National Register of Historic Places

Silk Covered Bridge

Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont
Listed
August 27, 1973
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000190

About this property

The Silk Covered Bridge is a covered bridge, carrying Silk Road across the Walloomsac River between downtown Bennington, Vermont and the village of North Bennington, United States. A Town lattice truss bridge, it was built in 1840, and is one of three covered bridges across the river in fairly close proximity. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Silk Covered Bridge is located roughly midway between downtown Bennington and North Bennington, on Silk Road, which connects Vermont Route 67A and Vermont Route 279. The bridge has a relatively rural setting. It is oriented north–south across the west-flowing Walloomsac River. Its northern abutment is original stone slab, which has been faced in concrete, while the southern abutment is a reconstructed concrete structure. The bridge is a Town lattice truss, 88 feet (27 m) long, with a single-lane roadway 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. The sides of the bridge are clad in vertical boards, as are the insides of the portals, while the outside portal ends are finished in flush horizontal boards. In the center part of the bridge, the boards do not rise the full height of the truss. The bridge was probably built in 1840 by Benjamin Sears, who was from a family of well-known bridge builders in the region. The family is also credited with construction of the Paper Mill Village Bridge (1889), downriver a short way from this bridge; the Burt Henry Covered Bridge is also nearby, the three bridges all on a 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of the river. On August 28, 2011, the Silk bridge was damaged by flood waters as a result of Hurricane Irene. The bridge was repaired and reopened. National Register of Historic Places listings in Bennington County, Vermont List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Media related to Silk Covered Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

Location

Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont
42.90952, -73.22539

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
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

Bennington Falls Covered Bridge
Industrial
0.5 mi
Henry Covered Bridge
Early Republic
1.5 mi
Bennington Battle Monument
Industrial
1.5 mi
Henry, William, House
Industrial
1.5 mi
Park-McCullough House
Industrial
1.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Bennington
1777Revolutionary War
0.7 mi
Skirmish at Walloomsac River (Bennington approach)
1777Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Battle of Walloomsac (Bennington)
1777Revolutionary War
1.9 mi
Battle of Bennington — Breymann Redoubt
1777Revolutionary War
2.2 mi
Battle of Bennington (Wallomsac)
1777Revolutionary War
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Silk Covered Bridge listed on the National Register?

Silk Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 27, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Silk Covered Bridge?

Silk Covered Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Silk Covered Bridge?

The period of significance for Silk Covered Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Silk Covered Bridge?

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