Covered bridges in the White Mountains are an integral part of the landscape and a place to wait out a summer shower or steal a kiss or watch raging river waters swollen by the melting winter snows.

Covered Bridges were often called "courting bridges." Their distinctive shapes form a signature for New Hampshire. Why the first covered bridges were built has been obscured by time. Some say that horses were more comfortable crossing an enclosed span than an open trestle. Others point to the fact that a bridge lasts longer if its heavy timbers are protected.

Certainly monetary considerations came into play: the first covered bridges were toll bridges. One bridge in Lebanon (now gone) was so profitable for its owner, that it provided a 70% annual return on the investment in the 1870's!

Covered bridges consist of a roadway supported on each side by a wooden truss and a roof. The frame, made of heavy timbers called chords, is made of two high walls that span the stream with cross timbers top and bottom for the ceiling, floor and foundation. The chords were connected with trusses. Tree nails, called trunnels, made of hardwood hold the bridge together.

Truss designs varied. Many bridges in the White Mountains utilize paddleford trusses, which were originated by Peter Paddleford of Littleton, New Hampshire. Each covered bridge is unique and holds many special and scenic features.

Listed below are selected Covered Bridges located here in the White Mountains.
Click on the images to see a larger version.