Coombs - 1837
The Coombs Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that carries Coombs Bridge Road over the Ashuelot River in northern Winchester, New Hampshire. It was built in 1837 and is one of the state's small number of surviving 19th-century covered bridges.
The Coombs Covered Bridge is located roughly midway between the village centers of Winchester and Swanzey. The bridge consists of a single span 107 feet long and 14 feet wide, with a span of just under 102 feet. It rests on unmortared stone abutments and has clearance over the river of about 11 feet. Its Town lattice trusses are sheathed in vertical board siding, and it is covered by a metal gabled roof. The end portals have segmented-arch openings, and there are banded openings on the side walls to admit light.
The bridge was built in 1837, less than twenty years after Ithiel Town patented the truss type used in it. It was probably built by either Anthony Coombs or Anthony Coombs, Jr., who lived nearby. Extensive repairs were made by the town in 1964 and the bridge was reopened the same year. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1971 at a cost of $13,340. Today, the bridge is in need of major repairs. In 1984, state officials recommended bypassing the bridge using existing town roads.
Of the 400 covered bridges that once stood in the state of New Hampshire, as of 2019 only 54 remain.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Located at: N42 50.27 W72 21.67 - WGCB #29-03-03
Photographed in July of 2019.