David Topham, Treasurer, Nov thru April only: 11707 Oakmont Ct., Fort Myers, FL 33908-2825 239-433-1551;
May thru Oct: 45 Village Way No. 50, Rockport, ME 04856-3805, 207-596-7472

Directions from Boston: Exit the Massachusetts turnpike at Natick, and take route 30 west into Framingham. There, take route 126 south, through both Framingham and Ashland just over the town line into Holliston, turn right on Ashland Street, then turn left almost immediately on Dodd Road. Follow this around until it ends on Westfield Drive, then turn left and proceed to 130 Westfield Drive, Holliston and the Cohen residence which will be on the right side of the street.

Directions from the south: Exit Interstate 495 at the first of two possible Milford exits, follow the signs to route 16 east. Take this through the village of Holliston, and at the second light, turn on route 126. Just before Ashland town line, turn left on Ashland Street and proceed as above.

Friday and Saturday. June 4 & 5 NSPCB 50th Anniversary Celebration. See page 5 for more information.
Sunday. July 25th at 1 p.m. Clarks Trading Post, Route 3, Lincoln, NH. We will meet at the covered bridge.
Sunday. August 22nd Annual picnic in Westminster, VT. Cookout at noon, meeting at 1 p.m..

Dear Fellow Members, Greetings!!

As I look out my window today, that is to say on the Ides of March, I am somewhat discouraged. Though the snows of a fairly long and cold winter had mostly melted away here in Westminster, melted away to the point where there was much bare ground, even some green grass to be found down where I live in the Valley of the Connecticut. I see that the white flakes are once again falling. Ugh!! Drat!! Double drat!! Triple drat, plus many other expletives none of which ought ever to grace the pages of our Newsletter!!!! Oh well, and in the words of an old Victorian Adage, "What cannot be changed, must be endured." Spring will come some day, of that I am sure, and with it, the start of the Covered Bridge visiting season.

Speaking of Covered Bridges, there is some interesting news this quarter. Because of the press of much other business -- figuring prominently on his list of present obligations, your President is currently hard at work at drafting additions and revisions to the text of a new addition of the World Guide -- I am going to have to be fairly brief here and only summarize certain matters which, by their inherent interest and importance, ought ordinarily to merit a much fuller treatment. With no further ado, therefore, to the bridges and various other related subjects.

The Bissell Covered Bridge in Charlemont, Massachusetts: Those of you who have visited the Bissell Bridge, and are fond of it, will be pleased to learn that this span was accepted for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as of February 26th 2004. And now a bit of history. The present Bissell Bridge is actually the second Covered Span to have occupied the site, and was erected in the years 1950 and 1951. It replaced an 1880 Town Lattice Truss Bridge which had, for whatever reasons, been allowed to fall into a state of advanced decrepitude. Some of you may have read the poem composed during the last days of the first Bissell Covered Span, by Selectmen Clyde H. Churchill, William D. Pierson, and Charles E. Streeter, of Charlemont, a poem which in the view of these Selectmen, accurately described the then current condition of the 1880 structure. This 'poem begins:

       "Listen dear voters, and you shall hear,
       From a board of Selectmen crazed with fear,
       That in the dead of night, with a mighty roar,
       The Bissell Bridge will be no more."

As a piece of polemic, the above poem was apparently quite effective. William F. Callahan, Commissioner of the Department of Public Works at the time, replied as follows:

       "Struck by the setting's natural beauty,
       The Commissioner said 'twas the State's duty,
       To save that lovely, rustic view,
       And save the State some money too,
       For it seems the wood bridge can compete,
       And still be cheaper than concrete,
       The Town, of course, will play its part,
       To gladden every tourist's heart."

And so the present Bissell Covered Bridge was duly built.

The official opening of the new Bissell Covered Bridge occurred on Saturday, September 22nd 1951, and was marked by an impressive parade, at least judging from contemporary newspaper accounts of the event, as well as by the presence of many local dignitaries, and by much "speechifying." Both Massachusetts Governor Paul A. Dever and State Commissioner of Public Works, William F. Callahan were in attendance for the occasion, and both presumably had something to say. Very likely, a good time was had by everyone that day, and in all probability, most folks who had been there present imagined that the new Bissell Covered Bridge, successfully launched as it had been, would continue to serve the traveling public well for many years to come.

Serve the traveling public well for many years to come the Bissell Covered Bridge has indeed done. In fact, it is only within the last decade that anyone has been even the slightest bit doubtful as to its performance, the most notable critic of the Bissell Bridge during this period having been Mass. Highways.

As attentive readers of the Newsletter will already know, alas, alas, alas, the new Bissell Covered Bridge is now closed. It has been by-passed by some sort of a single-lane Bailey structure, traffic over said structure being controlled by many attendant stop lights, as many stop lights as one might encounter say in the middle of New York City at some major intersection.

(And how much exactly has the installation of all these traffic lights cost the Massachusetts taxpayer?!)

Given their druthers, Mass. Highways would most certainly demolish the Bissell Covered Bridge, and replace it with what they would probably descri13~ as a "replica" span, though just how closely this "replica" would mimic the structure for which it had been substituted is a matter of some legitimate doubt.

Fortunately, many townspeople in Charlemont have objected to the removal of the Bissell Covered Bridge, so for the moment, this span still stands. Its future preservation is anything but certain, however, even inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places will not, in and of itself, prevent demolition, though such inclusion does oblige Mass. Highways to jump through a few additional hoops. Fans of the Bissell Covered Bridge should therefore keep their fingers and toes crossed, and hope for a successful outcome to the present controversy, i.e., one which is not 'preservationally challenged.' Further developments respecting the Bissell Bridge will of course be reported in future President's Messages.

The Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge: Concerning proposals or schemes for the stabilization and repair of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, there are no recent developments to report. Presumably, our engineering friend and his associates have been hard at work drawing up their plans for the structure, but until these plans have been completed, and subsequently passed around to other consulting parties, of which, as most of you will already know, the National Society is one, there is, as I have already said, nothing to report.

Concerning prospective financing for a stabilization and repair scheme, however, there is some news, albeit of a rather negative sort. This news is the following: from what I have been able to determine, and I have looked into the matter seriously, there is simply nowhere near enough money formally committed to the Bath-Haverhill project for anyone to be able to claim that this span will be repaired and stable by a particular date, or to announce any sort of construction schedule according to which the Bath-Haverhill project shall allegedly proceed.

This having been said, it would be well, I think, to list those monies which are known to be in the Bath- Haverhill till, so to speak:

1) Some $152,000 from the State of New Hampshire, a sum allocated to the towns of Bath and Haverhill in lieu of demolition of the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge. (Members not familiar with the Bath-Haverhill Covered span may not know that this bridge has recently been by-passed. Were it not the great national treasure that it is, this structure would likely have been taken down soon after the completion of the new bridge now replacing it, which operation, according to the State of New Hampshire, would have cost $152,000, hence the amount of the above cited sum.)

2) An I.S.T.E.A. grant for $250,000, which grant requires a 20% match, i.e., $50,000 from the two towns. (I presume this match has been committed to the project by Bath and Haverhill out of their own funds.)

To the best of my knowledge, there are no other monies formally committed to the Bath-Haverhill project at the present time.

In light of the above, let us now do a few sums:

$152,000 plus $250,000 plus $50,000 equals $452,000. So far, so good, except that as of last September, the Towns of Bath and Haverhill had already spent some $72,000 for emergency repairs to the Bath-Haverhill span, and for engineering. $450,000 minus $72,000 equals $380,000, a nice, tidy little sum, as I am sure most of you would agree, but one which is unfortunately vastly inferior to what will ultimately be required to repair and stabilize the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge.

Our engineering friend, for example, in his much discussed report, estimates that these repairs will cost in excess of one million dollars, including engineering, and it is conceivable that he is a bit short of the count. Even if the bill for the repairs in questions were not to exceed one million dollars, $1,000,000 minus $380,000 still leaves a short fall of $620,000, which sum the Towns of Bath and Haverhill are probably not in a position to raise by themselves, making use only of their own resources. Put another way, until such time as funds more or less commensurate with the charges that will be incurred in repairing and stabilizing the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge have been formally committed to this project, there is no project, or at least no project that amounts to much. It is just as simple as that: without proper funding in place, no bids can be accepted, nor any contracts let, period, hence there is no project, as has been said.

Respecting funding for repairs to the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, this issue has become confused because, several years back, then Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire, secured a grant of $650,000 for the Bath-Haverhill project. The money in question was supposed to have come through as an outright grant to the two communities, but instead arrived with the requirement for a 20% match. 20% of $650,000 is $130,000, a sum much in excess of what the Towns of Bath and Haverhill feel they can invest themselves in the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge.

And there, for the moment, the matter rests, at least as far as I have been able to determine.

Senator Smith, before he left office, was not able to get the 20% matching funds requirement removed from the $650,000 grant which he did secure for the two towns. Though the two towns have requested special legislation so as to be able to obtain the additional funds they will require in order to repair and stabilize the Bath-Haverhill Covered Bridge, neither Representative Bass's office, nor the offices of Senators Gregg and Sununu, are at present actively pursuing such legislation. The Bath-Haverhill repair and stabilization project therefore bears watching closely by all of us. Needless to say, but I shall say it anyway, further developments regarding this span shall be fully reported on future pages of the President's Message.

Happy Bridging!!

       Sincerely, Your President, David W. Wright

Safari weather will soon be here and we are ready to go! We will be visiting at least 8 of the Concord, NH area Historic Covered Bridges.

June 4th - Early arrivals will meet at Alan's Restaurant, 133 N. Main St. (Rte. 3) in Boscawen, NH for an ice cream social at 6:30 p.m. and covered bridge slides by Ken Olson at 7:15pm. The cost will be $5.00 and we hope you can join us. (See below.)

June 5th - We will meet at 8:15am at the Horace Chase Masonic Lodge in Penacook, NH located on Rte 3 south of Alan's Restaurant. Drivers will get the itinerary for the day and leave at 9:00am. Lunch will be along the way at an area McDonalds. We should arrive back at the Masonic Lodge around 4:00pm. At 5 :00pm, the Order of Eastern Star will serve a chicken dinner and trimmings before the evening program which begins at 6:30pm with Tim Andrews, Bridgewright and Jim Garvin, NH State Architectural Historian.

There will be a table for photo books of your covered bridge travels if you wish to share them with others. Join in the raffle fun and see what covered bridge items are available and post cards you "have to" have. Something for everyone!

Accommodations:
Elmwood Motor Lodge - 603-796-2411 or 603-796-2828
Mention the Covered%Bridge Society and the cost should be $69 a night.
Daniel Webster Motor Lodge - 603-796-2136
Mention the Covered Bridge Society - they will give 10% off the room rate.

Reserve dinner for Saturday, June 5, 2004. List names and phone # of those attending.

Name _______________________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________________

Phone #______________________________________________________________

Dinner cost will be $8.00. Please make check or Money Order payable to N.S.P.C.B.

___I will also be attending the Ice Cream Social Friday evening, June 4. (Add $5.00 per person)

This will be your last Topics/Newsletter. When you read this notice and see (04) on the mailing label, it means that your dues are due. If (04) does not show up then you are paid through June 2004. Please look at the following information and write me with your renewal. We ask that you be prompt, if possible, in order that Topics and the Newsletter be delivered by Bulk Mail process. Thank you very much for your cooperation.                      Pauline Prideaux

Please print your name and address as you wish it to appear on our records and on your mailing label.

Name_______________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________

City________________________State_____________Zip Code________

Spanning New York State
Covered Bridge News

By Bob and Trish Kane

Chenango County

Oxford Riverwalk Project -- Bill Troxell reports they have been working with an architectural student at ESF through Syracuse University to develop signage for the Village of Oxford. Those designs include elements of the Burr Arch truss. The Library has received the grant paperwork to hire an architect to further develop a building use plan for the Burr House. This is a member item grant through Assemblyman Clifford Crouch's office. Part of the plans for the library is to have a room dedicated to Theodore Burr, his life in Oxford and his covered bridge career.

Essex County

Jay Covered Bridge -- NY-16-01 A contract to rehabilitate the Jay covered bridge has been awarded to the Alpine Construction Company of Stillwater, NY with a bid of $652,184. Because Alpine's bid was significantly lower than the others, the Essex County Department of Public Works delayed awarding the contract until the job costs could be verified. The rehabilitation work will include replacing the floor, approximately 80% of the lower support members and about half of the upper members. Following rehabilitation, the Jay bridge will be used for pedestrian and cycle traffic only.

Herkimer County

Salisbury Center Covered Bridge - NY 32-22-01 -- Peter Usselmann, Chairman of the Planning Board reports that the contract for the rehabilitation of the Salisbury Center Covered Bridge has been awarded to Steven Miller Concrete and Construction from the Johnstown/Gloversville area. The bid of $133,000 includes a new roof, deck and installation of steel I-beams to support the bridge, along with other routine repairs. They will also be applying a fire retardant spray to the bridge. Repair work will begin when the weather breaks with an anticipated completion date of May 14th, 2004.

Rensselaer/Washington Counties

Buskirk, Rexleigh and Eagleville Covered Bridges -- NY 32-42-02/58-04; NY 32-58-03 and NY 32-58-01 -- Willie Grimmke, Superintendent of Public Works has advised us that the rehabilitation work has begun on the Buskirk Covered Bridge. The contract was awarded to Alpine Construction of Stillwater, NY. Washington County Board of Supervisors approved the $1.8 million construction bid at their November 21st meeting. Approximately 80% of the cost will be funded through a federal transportation improvement grant with NY State contributing 15%. The balance will be funded by Rensselaer and Washington Counties. The rehabilitated bridge will have a 12 ton posted weight limited when the project is completed, however the fire department will be granted a waiver up to 17 ton for their emergency equipment. Glulam bottom chords will be used to replace the old bottom chords. Rehabilitation is expected to be completed in December 2004. Rehabilitation on the Rexleigh and Eagleville bridges will not begin until 2006.

Ulster County

Grants Mills Covered Bridge -- NY-56-06 A recent visit to the Grants Mills Covered Bridge brought a welcome surprise. A beautiful new historical marker is prominently displayed near the bridge. It is great to see the effort that is being made to educate the public about the historic significance of our bridges.

Other news:
Many towns and villages who host a covered bridge have websites you can visit for up-to-date information on their covered bridges. I have been asked to list the following websites. If you learn of others, please let me know and I'd be happy to include them.

Copeland Covered Bridge -- www.edinburg-hist-soc.org
Hamden Covered Bridge -- www.hamdenny.com
Eagle Mills Covered Bridge --www.eaglemillsfun.com

Illinois Covered Bridge -- We were pleased to learn of the possibility of a new covered bridge being built in Illinois, a state we don't often hear from. The News Tribune reported in their Saturday, December 6, 2003 issue that there is a proposed plan to replace the Captain Swift, a one-lane iron bridge in Princeton. Princeton Township officials are seeking funds to construct a new, two lane covered bridge. According to the article, Whiteside, Knox, Cumberland and Clark counties have had covered bridges built in the last four years.

Corrections:
I apologize for some errors that were made in my fall 2003 column concerning the Smith Covered Bridge in Delaware. The correct World Guide number for the Smith Bridge is actually DE-02-D as it is not truly an authentic covered bridge. The Burr arches do not go actually go into the abutments and steel I-beams support the bridge. The Smith Covered Bridge is located in New Castle County, not Ashland County as I previously stated. And the correct number for the Wooddale Covered Bridge is DE-02-03, not 04. I apologize for the confusion.

Trish and Bob Kane present Richard T. Donovan's model covered bridge to Nancy Wilcox of the Oxford Memorial Library

Oxford, NY, March 17, 2004 - Trish and Bob Kane from Sherburne NY were extremely pleased to be able to present the above covered bridge model to Nancy Wilcox, Director of the Oxford Memorial Library on behalf of covered bridge expert, Richard T. Donovan.

The model, a Multiple King Post Truss with a Burr arch, is constructed of walnut and redwood and was built by J.B. Warg of State College, PA. Richard proudly displayed this model in his home for many years.

The Oxford Memorial Library is a former home of Theodore Burr, famous covered bridge builder who first patented the Burr Arch Truss design in 1806. The house was built by Burr between 1810 and 1812 and is the only remaining structure known to be built by him. His Harrisburg home is gone, and his burial place is unknown. Of the many important bridges he constructed, none are still standing.

Given this, Richard felt the Oxford Memorial Library would be a fitting home for his model. It will be on display in the reference room of the library for all to enjoy. Future plans for the library hope to find the model in a room dedicated to Theodore Burr, his life in Oxford and his covered bridge career.

File Cleaning

New Castle News, PA, March 10,2004, Troubled Bridge over Water. McConnell's Mill Covered Bridge was heavily damaged by a tree which fell dead center in the middle of its roof. Initial estimates to repair are close to $100K.

Madisonian, Iowa, February 4,2004, Bridge Preservation Group Managing Multiple Projects. The Madison County Covered Bridge Preservation Association has received a $20,300 Iowa Energy Grant to be used toward installing and operating security cameras for all six of its covered bridges.

News Tribune, IL , December 6, 2003, A Bridge to the Past. The Captain Swift Bridge west of Princeton may be replaced with a two-lane covered bridge, however as of this date, no decision has been made.

Union Leader, NH, February 5, 2004, Honeymoon Bridge Closed Until June. The Jackson covered bridge will be closed while it gets a $833K major face lift which involves extensive structural repairs and replacement of some sections of the wooden span.

Union Leader, NH , February 26, 2004, Merrimack Covered Bridges Committee Named. A six member committee has been formed to raise $ 15Ji)K to ,convert two bridges into covered bridges in Twin Bridges Park.

The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA, February 19, 2004, Growing Greener Grant to Spur Covered Bridge Rehab. The S1. Mary's Covered Bridge, er~cted in 1896, has undergone two major renovations to date. Currently a third one is being. planned which will also use "fluvial geomorphological" technology. This is a new and experimental procedure to change the flow of the stream as it passes underneath the bridge.

CONTRIBUTORS: Tom Walczak, Andy Howard, Trish Kane, Dick and June Roy, George Eysenbach.

We are very happy to have to offer this year a couple of items in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges.

Tote Bag - Has the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges emblem in dark blue on front pocket measuring 12 1 /2" by 15 1 /2" with a top snap and 20" handle straps. Available for $15 including shipping

Ornament -Also has the Society emblem. It's a 3" round glass maroon ornament with the emblem in gold. Available for $7 including shipping

Pens -They have "I love Covered Bridges - N.S.P.C.B." written on them. Available for $1.25 including shipping.

SPECIAL OFFER!!
You may want to have them all. One of each tote, ornament and pen will be available for $20 including shipping. They are great gifts for family, friends and other bridgers. We have a limited supply, so please order yours today.

PLEASE MAKE CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS TO N.S.P.C.B. INC and mail to;

N.S.P.C.B. INC.
Pauline Prideaux
143 Freeman St. Ext.
Haverhill, MA 01830

       I am extremely pleased to announce that Covered Spans of Yesteryear's web site, lostbridges.org is now up and running and ready for assistance from covered bridge enthusiasts. Before I tell you how you can help, please join me in thanking Bill Cockrell from the Oregon Covered Bridge Society and Dick Roy from the National Society for their tremendous support, words of encouragement, testing of the site, and for supplying so much wonderful information on past bridges to get this project off the ground. And thanks to each of you who sent in information on covered bridges in your state, and to those of you we contacted who tested the site for us and offered such great feedback. It was extremely helpful. And last, but certainly by far not least, a very special thank you to Bill Caswell who has spent countless hours this past year setting up, testing, and inputting information for this website. His computer expertise has been invaluable and we are extremely fortunate to have him be such an integral part of this project.

       On behalf of all of us, please accept this warm invitation to visit: http://www.lostbridges.org to see the progress we have made and please, feel free to offer suggestions. We really do want to hear them. If you would like to enter information on bridges from your area, state, or any state, please let us know. We will be happy to provide you with instructions on how to do so. Don't have a computer but would still like to help out? Not a problem. We have designed a special form just for this purpose. Just contact us and we will be happy to provide you with the necessary material to get you started.

       As in anything new, and keeping in mind how frustrating computers can often be, we anticipate there will still be some "bugs" that will need to be addressed as more and more people input information. Each computer system is different and will accept and send information in various ways. If you find you are having any issues with the site, please do not hesitate to contact Bill Caswell, our Webmaster for this project.

       Again, thanks to each of you for your wonderful words of encouragement and support with this new endeavor.

For more information, contact:
Bill Caswell, New Hampshire, (603) 753-8244, wscaswell@aol.com
Bill Cockrell, Oregon, (503) 399-0436, wildbill-salem@worldnet.att.net
Bob & Trish Kane, New York, (607) 674-9656, bobtrish68@frontiernet.net
Dick Roy, New Hampshire, (603) 623-8406, dickroycb1@juno.com

The following are items still available through the Society: All of the items below are available from June Roy, 73 Ash Street, Manchester, NH 03104-4906 or E-mail dickroycb1@Juno.com

The Book, Life in the Slow Lane is still available for $16.95 + $3.95 Shipping and Handling.
Society Arm Patch with N.S.P.C.B. logo 3" arm patch available for $1.75 + 55 cents S&H

Books Available by Andrew Howard:

CB's of Madison County IA, A Guide . . . . . .$6.50
CBs of Connecticut, A Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.50
CB's of Virginia, A Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95
CB's of Bennington County VT, A Guide . . . $6.50
CB's of Massachusetts, A Guide . . . . . . . . . .$7.00
There is a $2.00 postage and handling charge for each book.

There is also an excellent book out on Vermont Covered Bridges called, "Spanning Time -- Vermont's Covered Bridges." You can get a copy by contacting Joseph Nelson, 2 Sugar Hill Road, Underhill VT 05489 or Visit >www.vermontbridges.com> Joseph Nelson is the President of the Vermont Society.

Both are now available on computer diskette in either Mac or PC format. Please specify your choice. The TOPICS index includes: Table of Contents for each issue, an index to subjects and authors, as well as more. The World Guide is kept up to date and in the regular format. Order your choice at $5.00 each from Joseph Cohen, 130 Westfield Drive, Holliston, MA 01746 from mid-April until mid-September. The rest of the year he is at 210 Wellington F, West Palm Beach, FL 33417.