Bement Covered Bridge

United States historic place

Bement Covered Bridge

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| Center Rd., Bradford, New Hampshire
Coordinates| 43°15′51″N 71°57′13″W﻿ / ﻿43.26417°N 71.95361°W﻿ / 43.26417; -71.95361
Area| 0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built| 1854 (1854)
NRHP reference No.| 76000128[1]
Added to NRHP| November 21, 1976

The Bement Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge on Center Road over the Warner River in Bradford, New Hampshire. A Long-truss bridge, it was built in 1854, and is one of New Hampshire's small number of surviving 19th-century covered bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1]

## Description and history[edit]

The Bement Covered Bridge is located just south of Bradford's main village, carrying Center Road over the Warner River just south of New Hampshire Route 103 near the Bradford Pines Natural Area. It is a single-span Long truss structure, with a roadway length of 63 feet (19 m), a roof length of 71 feet 2 inches (21.69 m), and a roadway width of 19 feet 2.5 inches (5.855 m), sufficient for one lane of traffic. It rests on stone abutments that have been partially faced and topped with concrete. It is covered by a gabled roof, and its sidewalls are clad in vertical board siding. The gable ends above the portals (which are 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) in clearance) are finished in wooden clapboards.[2]

This bridge was built in 1854, and is the third bridge to occupy the site. Although it has long been thought that the patentee of the trusses, Stephen Long, was responsible for its construction, there is no documentary support for this. It is possible that Long's brother, Dr. Moses Long, a resident of nearby Warner, may have played a role in its construction as an agent for his brother. The bridge is named for local resident Samuel Bement, whose property the second (1818) bridge was identified as being near in town records. The bridge has undergone several restorations, including in 1947 and 1968-69. It provides access to only a modest number of residences.[2]

The bridge was upgraded and restored in 2020-21 by Daniels Construction of Ascutney, VT. The budget of $1.65 million was mostly paid for by state and federal funds, with Bradford contributing approximately $205,000.[3]

## See also[edit]

* New Hampshire portal

* List of New Hampshire covered bridges
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire
* List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Bement Covered Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
3. ^ Brooks, David (April 26, 2021). "Covered bridge in Bradford to be hauled back into place after upgrades". Concord Monitor.

## External links[edit]

Media related to Bement Bridge (Bradford, New Hampshire) at Wikimedia Commons

* Bement Bridge, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources

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National Register of Historic Places in Merrimack County, New Hampshire

Landmarks|

* Canterbury Shaker Village
* Daniel Webster Family Home

Districts|

* Bear Brook State Park Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Historic District
* Blossom Hill and Calvary Cemeteries
* Concord Civic District
* Concord Historic District
* Downtown Concord Historic District
* East Andover Village Center Historic District
* Franklin Falls Historic District
* Hay Estate
* Hersey Farms Historic District
* Murray Hill Summer Home District
* Page Belting Company Mills
* Pittsfield Center Historic District
* Suncook Village Commercial–Civic Historic District
* Waterloo Historic District

Buildings|

* 2½ Beacon Street
* Boscawen Academy and Much-I-Do Hose House
* Boscawen Public Library
* Bradford Town Hall
* Concord Gas Light Company Gasholder House
* Contoocook Railroad Depot
* Eagle Hotel
* Endicott Hotel
* Hall Memorial Library
* Henniker Town Hall
* Jacob Noyes Block
* Merrimack County Bank
* Merrimack County Courthouse
* Millville School
* New Hampshire Savings Bank Building
* Old Post Office
* Pembroke Mill
* Pillsbury Memorial Hall
* Pleasant View Home
* Potter Place Railroad Station
* Robie's Country Store
* Rolfe Barn
* Salisbury Academy Building
* Stanley Tavern
* Tucker Mountain Schoolhouse
* William H. Long Memorial

Houses|

* Bennett Farm
* Chamberlin House
* Charles S. Hall House
* Dimond Hill Farm
* Donald D. Tuttle House
* Dr. Solomon M. Whipple House
* Farrington House
* Franklin Pierce House
* Gershom Durgin House
* Gov. Frank West Rollins House
* H. Styles Bridges House
* Henry J. Crippen House
* Howe-Quimby House
* Leavitt Farm
* Lewis Downing, Jr. House
* Matthew Harvey House
* Morrill-Lassonde House
* Reuben Foster House and Perley Cleaves House
* Upham-Walker House
* White Farm

Places of
worship|

* Allenstown Meeting House
* Baptist New Meeting House
* Bradford Center Meetinghouse
* Center Meetinghouse
* First Congregational Church of Boscawen
* Hill Center Church
* Loudon Town Hall
* Lower Warner Meetinghouse
* Northfield Union Church
* Old Webster Meeting House
* South Danbury Christian Church
* South Sutton Meeting House
* Webster Congregational Church

Sites|

* Beaver Meadow Brook Archeological Site
* Old North Cemetery
* White Park

Structures|

* Bement Covered Bridge
* Bog Bridge
* Dalton Covered Bridge
* Hopkinton Railroad Covered Bridge
* Keniston Bridge
* Memorial Arch of Tilton
* Pineground Bridge
* Rowell's Covered Bridge
* Sulphite Railroad Bridge
* Waterloo Covered Bridge

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Merrimack County, New Hampshire and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
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