Schoolhouse Covered Bridge
Lyndon Corner, VT
WGN Number: 45-03-03
Photo by Joe Nelson © 1997
The Schoolhouse Bridge was the second bridge constructed to serve the Lyndon Academy and Graded School. Curiously, the trusses are each planked over on both sides. Perhaps the authorities had done this to keep school children from climbing up to the roof.
Herbert Wheaton Congdon provides this explaination for the bridges design: "The builder wanted to protect his structure from the effect of weather, so he spread the eaves much wider than is usual, and also carried his gable out on tall, sloping brackets. To get a harmonious appearance with what might have been unpleasing features, he repeated the curve of the middle arch at the sides. The result is light and graceful, suggesting a bird poised to take wing¹."
The Covered Spans of Yesteryear website provides some historical notes for the bridge:
"The present bridge was built in 1879. The Vermont Union of December 12, 1879 noted the completion of the new bridge on School Street as "a job well done. There were originally walkways on both sides of the bridge."
"During the 1927 flood, the high water and debris lifted the bridge off of its abutments. When the water subsided, the bridge settled back into place with little damage."
"In 1971, construction of I-91 required relocation of the road crossing the bridge. A local business donated land around the bridge for a small park. Unlike other Lyndon area bridges, this one has the trusses completely walled in."
Our thanks to the Town of Lyndon and the Village of Lyndonville for allowing the posting of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society Welcome patch. For more information about the Lyndon area visit their website at www.lyndonvt.org.
Notes:
1. The Covered Bridge by Herbert Wheaton Congdon ©1941 Published by Vermont Books Middlebury, Vermont.
Schoolhouse Covered Bridge Vital Statistics
| Town: | Lyndon Corner |
| Location: | South Wheelock Road |
| Crossing: | South Wheelock Branch of the Passumpsic River |
| Date: | 1879 |
| Builder: | J. C. Jones & Lee Goodell |
| Truss Type: | Queenpost |
| Truss Length: | 42 feet |
| Other Names: | Old Schoolhouse |
| National Register of Historical Places Listing Date: | March 31, 1971 |
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.
