The Mount Orne Covered Bridge
Lunenberg, VT
WGN Number: 45-05-03
Photo by Joe Nelson © 1997
The Mount Orne Bridge stands in one of the Connecticut River Valley's most beautiful areas. Old photographs show a toll house standing against the side of the Vermont portal.
The Covered Spans of Yesteryear website provides a history of the bridge: "The first bridge at this site was constructed in the 1860s or 70s to connect the towns Lancaster and Lunenburg. The owner, Union Bridge Company, operated it as a toll bridge until it was destroyed by a log jam in 1908. Ferry service connected the two communities until a new bridge was built in 1911. The yellow pine timber for the bridge was precut and assembled at the site."
"In 1969, a truck loaded with highway salt dropped through the deck and landed on the ice below. The front of the truck hooked on a steel rod in the bridge while rear rested on the ice."
"The bridge was closed on July 5, 1983 for twelve weeks to allow rehabilitation by the state of New Hampshire at a cost of $133,000. Funding came from the towns of Lancaster and Lunenburg, the states of New Hampshire and Vermont, and a federal Historic Preservation Fund matching grant from the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior through the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. The rededication of the bridge took place on November 23, 1983."
In recent years the bridge has been closed three times due to damage by tractor trailers. The Salmon Press reported that the accidents happened in 2006, 2010, and 2012.
Mount Orne Covered Bridge Vital Statistics
| Town: | Lunenburg |
| Location: | East Concord Road |
| Crossing: | Connecticut River |
| Date: | 1911 |
| Builder: | Berlin Construction Company & Babbitt Brothers |
| Truss Type: | Howe |
| Truss Length: | 266 feet |
| National Register of Historical Places Listing Date: | December 12, 1976 |
| Date Rehabilitated: | 1983 |
| Rehabilitation Contractor: | Unknown |
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.
