July 25, 2015

1777 UNITED STATES (New Hampshire) - Ashuelot Covered Bridge


The Ashuelot Covered Bridge (also known in its time as the Village Bridge and the Village Station Bridge) is a historic wooden covered bridge over the Ashuelot River on Bolton Road, just south of its intersection with NH 119 in Ashuelot, New Hampshire, an unincorporated village of Winchester. It was covered, like all covered bridges, not as an architectural flourish, but to protect the wooden trusses from moisture. It is a Town lattice truss bridge, built in 1864-1865, consisting of two spans with a total length of 54m, and has a central roadway and sidewalks on each side.

The bridge rests on stone abutments and a central pier. The abutments have been reinforced with concrete since the bridge was built, and the central pier has been protected by a metal breakwater. It is painted white, inside and out, with red trim and a red metal roof. A sign reading ''$5 fine for riding or driving over this bridge faster than a walk'' is posted over both entrances. One unusual feature of this bridge is that its sides are not fully sheathed. Instead, the bridge roof is extended to provide long eaves, and the sides are sheathed to the height of the walkway handrails.

About the stamps
The first two stamps are part of the definitives series American Design (2002-2007), about which I wrote here. The last stamp, dedicated to Lydia Mendoza (1916-2007), is part of the series Music Icons, about which I wrote here.

References
Ashuelot Covered Bridge - Wikipedia
New England: True Northeast; Covered Bridge; Ashuelot, N.H. - The New York Times

Sender: Denise 
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 29.03.2014
Photo: William Johnson / 1995

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