Blow-Me-Down Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge carrying Lang Road over Blow-me-down Brook in the town of Cornish in Sullivan County, near its northern border with Plainfield, New Hampshire.
The Blow-Me-Down Covered Bridge was built in 1877 by James Frederick Tasker (1826–1903) for $528 (equivalent to $12,423 in 2018). The bridge structure incorporates a single-span multiple kingpost truss that spans 85 feet and has a roadway 14 feet wide. It rests on natural granite ledges that have been leveled with dry-laid stone. The bridge was restored in 1980.
The structure was repaired by Milton Graton and his son Arnold in 1980. The restoration was made possible with the aid of 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 Town of Cornish, the Cornish Historical Society, and private contributions.
With no roadside markings, this bridge is difficult to find, and a sign posted on a tree next to the bridge reads, "No Trespassing. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again". There was an uneasiness about being at this bridge alone, and I moved on quickly.
Of the 400 covered bridges that once stood in the state of New Hampshire, as of 2019, only 54 remain.
Blow-Me-Down Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Located at: N43 31.036 W72 22.437 - WGCB # 29-10-10
Photographed in July of 2019
Photos by Millard Farmer