Martin Covered Bridge
Marshfield, VT
WGN Number: 45-12-06
Photo by Scott Wagner © 2009
The Martin Bridge is named for a pioneering Marshfield settler who farmed this land. It stood for many years in alluvial fields watered by the Winooski River. Joe Nelson notes that this bridge is "...the only original covered "farm" bridge left in Vermont. A "farm" bridge was a bridge built solely for agricultural use" in the 2009 article Marshfield Bridge to Return to River.
An free engineering evaluation was done in the fall of 2003 by John Weaver. The findings revealed "rotting of the bottom chord" among other structural issues. It was noted before the inspection that the bridge "is in very poor condition and probably would not have survived many more years without intervention". The inspection report can be read here: Marshfield's Martin Bridge Inspection Report. The bridge was removed in 2004. However, it took a number of years to secure the funding needed to restore the bridge. During that time the bridge sat in a nearby field.
After five years of planning, fund raising, and a creative land deal, the renovation was completed in 2009 by Building Heritage of Huntington, Vermont. Click here for some of the renovation progress: Martin Bridge Returns - A Photo Essay.
Today the bridge is back in its original location and is part of the Martin Bridge Park. The website "Only In Your State" posted a feature article on the park in February 2019: Take A Journey Through This One-Of-A-Kind Bridge Park In Vermont.
Our thanks to the town of Marshfield for allowing the posting of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society Welcome patch. For more information about the Marshfield area visit their website at http://town.marshfield.vt.us.
Click here for a short history of the Martin Covered Bridge: A Short History of the Martin Covered Bridge.
Martin Covered Bridge Vital Statistics
| Town: | Marshfield |
| Location: | Off of Route 2 |
| Crossing: | Winooski River |
| Date: | 1890 |
| Builder: | Herman E. Townsend |
| Truss Type: | Queenpost |
| Truss Length: | 45 feet |
| Other Names: | Orton Farm, Orton |
| National Register of Historical Places Listing Date: | October 9, 1974 |
| Date Renovated: | 2009 |
| Renovation Contractor: | Building Heritage Huntington, 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.
