Cresson - 1859
The Cresson Covered Bridge (Aka Sawyer's Crossing Covered Bridge) is located on Sawyer's Crossing Road and crosses the Ashuelot River in Swanzey, New Hampshire.
The bridge was built in 1859. It is said that the bridge was built to replace a bridge at this site that was built in 1771.
Cresson Covered Bridge was once used by the Chesterfield Cigarette company in 1953, when the company used the image of the bridge on one of their Christmas edition cartons, promoting their cigarettes as a present for Christmas. Arthur Godfrey came to the bridge for the photoshoot and Governor Hugh Gregg presented Arthur Godfrey with an honorary deed to the bridge in New York, making him an owner of Cresson Covered Bridge.
The Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge, also known as the Cresson Bridge, is a wooden covered bridge carrying Sawyers Crossing Road over the Ashuelot River in northern Swanzey, New Hampshire. It is a two-span Town truss construction, resting on abutments and a central pier made of split granite. It was built in 1859 to replace a bridge built in 1771 at a cost of $1,735.94. The event was celebrated with a big dance held right on the bridge. Lanterns were hung from the rafters, a four-piece orchestra played, lunch was served at midnight, and the dance continued all night. It is 117 feet long and 17 feet wide.
The bridge was repaired in 1983 at a cost of $61,028.15 of which $16,446.22 was contributed by the town. The remainder came from the state.
Of the 400 covered bridges that once stood in the state of New Hampshire, as of 2019 only 54 remain.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Located at: N42 53.174 W72 17.194 - WGCB #29-03-05
Photographed in July of 2019.