The Ca. 1872 Grist Mill Covered Bridge, also known as the Scott Covered Bridge, the Bryant Covered Bridge, and the Canyon Covered Bridge, is a covered bridge that carries Canyon Road across the Brewster River in Cambridge, Lamoille County, Vermont. Built-in the 19th century, it is one of a small number of surviving Burr arch-truss bridges in the state and is one of three left in Cambridge.

Before the Flood of 1927, Cambridge was home to 13 covered bridges. Some of the old bridges washed away in the historic 1927 flood, some fell into disrepair and were taken down, and others were moved. Grist Mill Bridge seems to have an elusive past. No one seems to know exactly when the bridge was built, or even its official name. It’s not unusual for Vermont Covered Bridges to have multiple names attached to them.  

The Grist Mill Covered Bridge is a single-span Burr arch-truss design, with a length of 84.5 feet, a total width of 17.5 feet, and a roadway width of 14 feet (one lane). It is covered by a metal gabled roof, which projects beyond the truss ends. The trusses consist of vertical posts with diagonal bracing, flanked on each side by a rounded arch made of single timbers bolted together. The exterior is clad in vertical board siding, which extends around to the insides of the portals. Each of the long side walls has two rectangular window cutouts. The deck is made of wooden planking.

The bridge is one of nine documented surviving Burr arch bridges in the state. Originally near a grist mill, its use declined in the 20th century, and by the time of its listing on the National Register in 1974, it was in somewhat deteriorated condition. In 2001, an engineering study determined that rehabilitation of the bridge was necessary to improve the load rating. In May 2004, Blow & Cote Contractors began rehabilitation, and the bridge was re-opened to traffic on October 13, 2004.

Of the over 500 covered bridges built in Vermont, as of 2019, only 104 remain.

Length of largest span: 73.2 ft.
Total length: 85 ft.
Deck width: 12.1 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 8.8 ft.

Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1974.

Located at:   N44 38.198    W72 49.518     -     WGCB #45-08-01

Photographed in July 2019.