Arthur Smith - 1869
Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge, carrying Lyonsville Road across the North River in Colrain, Franklin County, Massachusetts.
Built in 1869, it is the only Burr truss bridge in the state and is one of a few 19th centuries covered bridges in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge is located west of Colrain's village center, carrying Lyonsville Road across the North River a short way west of Massachusetts Route 112. The bridge is 100 feet long, with an outside width of 17 feet and an inside width of 12 feet, sufficient for one lane of traffic. It is covered by a gabled roof, and its exterior is clad in vertical board siding. It is supported by multiple king post trusses augmented by laminated Burr arches.
The bridge was built in 1869 in the Shattuckville section of Colrain and was severely damaged during a flood in 1878. It then sat abandoned until 1896, when the town voted to rehabilitate it and moved it to its present location, where it served as part of the main road to Heath. The area was then known as the "Arthur A. Smith Flats", after a prominent local resident who lived in the area. The bridge was strengthened in 1920 with the addition of laminated beam arches. In 1991 it was taken out of service and moved to adjacent land. Following restoration work in 2005–07, it was placed back in service and was only modestly damaged by Hurricane Irene.
Of the nearly 270 covered bridges that were built in the state of Massachusetts, as of 2019 only 7 remain.
Located at: N42 40.194 W72 43.134 - WGCB #21-06-03 #2
Photographed in July of 2019.