Wanderers in Wonder

There are 54 covered bridges in New Hampshire and not a lonely Italian war bride in sight. We spent a day driving the highways and byways of Cheshire County seeking out seven of these beautiful and historic structures. 

The oldest covered bridge still in use in New Hampshire dates to 1829, the Barth-Haverhill Bridge. There are records of covered bridges in the state from as early as the 1770’s but none have survived in their original condition. The Carleton Bridge was put into operation in 1789. Its replacement, which was on our tour, was built in 1869.

Carleton Covered Bridge.

Bridges were covered to protect them from the elements. The rain and snow on unprotected bridges caused them to need replacing in relatively short periods of time. Covered bridges lasted much longer and therefore were more cost effective for the community.

Thompson Covered Bridge.

Thompson Covered Bridge.

The bridges we sought out all crossed the Archuelot River. Archuelot means ‘collection of many waters’ in the Abenaki language. The Abenaki inhabited Southwestern New Hampshire at the time of the European invasion.

The Archuelot Covered Bridge.

Interestingly both the Thompson and Archuelot bridges have covered pedestrian walkways

The Archuelot River from the middle of the Archuelot Bridge.

The Archuelot Covered Bridge.

Most of the bridges, like almost all of the farm buildings in this part of the country, are painted red with white trim…WHY?

Some theories…

1.  In Europe, particularly in Scandinavia, poor farmers, when they could, would paint their houses, barns and outbuildings red. Red was the color of brick. Brick was the building material of the wealthy. 

2.  Red absorbs heat. The homes are warmer for the farmer and his family. The barns are warmer for the cows, sheep and chickens.

3.  Red was the least expensive color to purchase. 

Take your pick.

The absence of color, white, was an obvious choice for the trim…even cheaper than red. You know what they say about those lame neighbors, ‘Too poor to paint, Too proud to whitewash’.

Peace…Wanderers in Wonder.