Gold Brook Covered Bridge
Stowe, VT
WGN Number: 45-08-12
Photo by Joe Nelson © 1997
The builder of the Gold Brook Bridge was very much at the leading edge of technology when he used the newly patented Howe truss. The Howe design became the standard for railroad bridges until it was superseded by steel trusses. The Covered Spans of Yesteryear website notes that "this is the only Howe truss highway bridge in Vermont" ¹.
The Gold Brook or Emily's Bridge is the only covered bridge in Vermont that appears to have ties to the supernatural realm. Many people claim to have experienced strange events at the bridge. Some even believe it is haunted.
Ed Barna ² cites the following information concerning the "haunting" from the book Covered Bridges of Lamoille County ³ by Robert Hagerman. Mr Hagerman's information came from a research project done by a Morrisville High School student in 1969:
- "In 1925, Emily Smith, 36 and fat and not very pretty, but she was very much in love with a young man named Donald, who unfortunately, didn't like her at all. He did, however, get her pregnant. Emily's father was furious when he found out and was going to force the couple to get married. In desperation, Donald jumped off the Gold Brook Bridge and died. A month later Emily gave birth to twins, who died shortly after birth. In despair, Emily jumped off High Bridge in her bright red wedding dress."
- "In the late 1800's a girl named Emily who planned to meet her fiancé at midnight in the bridge. They planned to elope but he never came. Finally Emily hung herself in the bridge."
- "Emily was a bride on her way to her wedding in the village. Suddenly the horse bolted. Emily was thrown over the corner of the High Bridge and killed on sharp, jagged the rocks below. Since then people have claimed to hear her still moaning and groaning for her love."
As for the Gold Brook name, Ed Barna notes that "so-called placer gold...can be panned or sluiced in many of the states streams" ². Apparently someone must have found some in this brook at one time, hence the name.
Footnotes:- Covered Spans of Yesteryear website
- Covered Bridges of Vermont (Barna, E. (1996) Covered Bridges of Vermont. Woodstock, Vermont: The Countryman Press pg. 89)
- Covered Bridges of Lamoille County (Hagerman, Robert E. (1972) Covered Bridges of Lamoille County. Morrisville, Vermont: Robert L. Hagerman pg. 7)
Gold Brook Covered Bridge Vital Statistics
| Town: | Stowe |
| Location: | Covered Bridge Road |
| Crossing: | Gold Brook |
| Date: | 1844 |
| Builder: | John W. Smith |
| Truss Type: | Howe |
| Truss Length: | 48 feet 6 inches |
| Other Names: | Emily's / Stowe Hollow |
| National Register of Historical Places Listing Date: | October 1, 1974 |
Credits: All pictures, information and descriptions are taken from Spanning Time Vermont's Covered Bridges by Joseph C. Nelson ©1997 and the World Guide to Covered Bridges - 2009 unless otherwise specified.
