The Bump Covered Bridge at this site, spanning the Beebe River, was originally built in 1877 and was once known as the Webber Bridge.

The Bump Bridge was built using the Queenpost construction technique. The original bridge was 85’ long, including abutments, with spans of 8’, 62’, and 8’. The width of the bridge was 16’, with a roadway of 13’. Virtual clearance was 11’ 7”. Bump Bridge rested on timber “horses” (bents) instead of stone. It is unique in that it has horizontal clapboards, rather than vertical.

Around 1971, the bridge had deteriorated. It was examined to see if it could be kept going for a few more years. Arnold Graton offered to repair it for $2,500 and propped it up for the winter. In the Spring, it had fallen apart and was closed. The bottom framing was completely rotted beyond repair. At the same time, the Town was negotiating with the state to do some restoration work on Blair Bridge. Graton agreed to match the state price, assuming that the profit on Blair would be enough to replace Bump for $2,500. He ended up borrowing $10,000 to do Bump and received his $2,500 from the Town. Several years later (1977) he restored Blair Bridge for $59,739.

The new Bump Bridge, built in 1972, is 68’ 4” long with a clear span of 61’ 6”. The width is 16’ 9”, and the roadway 13’ 4”. Vertical clearance is 11’ 4”. It has a capacity of 3 tons and is posted for cars only. It was constructed in a manner replicating the traditional style of covered bridges
Another unique aspect of Bump Bridge is that it was pulled into place by a group of Boy Scouts and others. This may be the first and only time in history when this happened.

Of the 400 covered bridges that once stood in the state of New Hampshire, as of 2019 only 54 remain.

The Bump Bridge has not reached the 50-year National Register of Historic Places age criteria.

Located at:  N43 48.873    W71 37.305     -     WGCB #29-05-08 #2

Photographed in July of 2019.