Grist Mill Covered Bridge
Cambridge, VT
WGN Number: 45-08-01
Photo by Scott Wagner © 2006
The eighty-five foot Grist Mill Bridge crosses the Brewster River gorge. The span has been known as the Brewster River Bridge, the Bryant Bridge, the Scott Bridge, and fancifully, as the Grand Canyon Bridge.
The Covered Spans of Yesteryear website provides the following historical notes: "In 1952 a freshet washed out a 4 foot section between the road and the bridge abutment. After temporary repairs failed, a new concrete abutment was poured."
Ed Barna adds more details to the 1952 freshet incident: "Selectman Clark Dodge Sr. was about to drive onto it (the bridge) when he noticed that the end had settled considerably. Stopping his car, he found a 4-foot washout between the road and the bridge abutment". Ed further notes that the bridge was jacked up only to have the cribbing washout again. A concrete abutment was build and partially funded by a donation from local resident Alden Bryan. (Barna, E. (1996) Covered Bridges of Vermont. Woodstock, Vermont: The Countryman Press pg.80)
Following a 2001 assessment of the bridge, rehabilitation work began in the spring and was completed in the fall of 2004. The work was done by Blow and Cote of Morrisville, Vermont.
Click here for complete details of the rehabilitation process from assessment to completion: Canyon Covered Bridge Rehabilitation Project.
Grist Mill Covered Bridge Vital Statistics
| Town: | Cambridge |
| Location: | Canyon Road |
| Crossing: | Brewster River |
| Date: | 1872 |
| Builder: | Unknown |
| Truss Type: | Multiple King with Burr arch |
| Truss Length: | 85 feet |
| Other Names: | Scott/Bryan/Canyon |
| National Register of Historical Places Listing Date: | June 13, 1974 |
| Date Renovated: | 2004 |
| Renovation Contractor: | Blow and Cote Morrisville, Vermont |
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.
