The 1883 Mill Covered Bridge is a replica historic covered bridge carrying Spring Road across the First Branch White River in Tunbridge, Orange County, Vermont. It was built in 2000, nearly replicating a previous structure built on the site in 1883 and lost due to ice damage. It is one of the high concentrations of covered bridges in Tunbridge and Chelsea.

The Mill Covered Bridge is located on the north side of Tunbridge village, where it carries Spring Road across the First Branch White River. It is located among the buildings of the former Hayward and Kibby Mill, a 19th-century mill complex. It is a single-span structure, with multiple kingpost trusses resting on abutments of stone and concrete. It is 72.5 feet long and has a total width of 19 feet and a roadway width of 15.5 feet (one lane). The trusses are reinforced by wrought iron rods, which provide lateral bracing often provided by wooden members in other bridges. The exterior consists of a metal roof and vertical board siding, the latter extending around the portals and a short way into the interior. The floor consists of planking laid parallel to the trusses on supporting stringers.

The historic bridge was built about 1883 by Arthur G. Adams, a local carpenter credited with the construction of a number of Tunbridge's five surviving covered bridges. These bridges, along with another in nearby Chelsea, form a remarkable concentration of 19th-century covered bridges in the state. This bridge was severely damaged by ice floes in March 1999 and subsequently demolished. A substantially similar bridge was completed on the site the following year, and on July 22, 2000, the people of Tunbridge celebrated the opening of the new Mill Bridge. Earlier in the month, the new bridge was pulled into place the old-fashioned way with a team of oxen. Bridge construction work was done by Neil Daniels Construction of Ascutney, Vermont.

The bridge, also known as the Hayward and Noble Bridge, uses the multiple-kingpost truss. The dam belonging to the mill that named the seventy-two-foot structure still stands upstream. The waters of the First Branch spill over the dam, flow over bedrock, and then pass under the bridge. The bucket of flowers so common to the area stands out front.

Photographic evidence from the 1870s indicates that an open bridge served at this location before it was replaced by a covered bridge. The house at the west approach has changed little in outward appearance since then. The brick building beside the bridge was a blacksmith shop, first established in 1791. The first bridge at the site was built in 1797 and destroyed by a flood the following year. The replacement bridge served until 1815 and was followed by a third. The dam above the bridge ran a grist mill.

Per the Vermont Journal (Windsor), September 22, 1883, "TUNBRIDGE. - A covered bridge is to replace the one near Hayward & Kibby's mills." In the 1970s, the 1883 bridge was raised to a higher elevation to reduce the risk of flood damage. On March 4, 1999, it was wrenched from its abutments by an ice jam. It was believed the bridge could be rescued from its resting place on top of the ice. Robert Childs, a local construction expert, devised a plan and the Tunbridge selectmen gave their approval. However, before the necessary materials and equipment could be assembled, the ice shifted and the remains of the bridge were set afire on March 5, 1999, to protect the downstream covered bridges. The 1883 bridge was built at a cost of $532.32 and the new bridge required an expenditure of $230,000. On July 3, 2000, just sixteen months after the structure was lost, the 74' 5" re-creation was pulled into place the “old-fashioned way” by four teams of oxen.

The 1883 bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Located at:  N43 53.504    W72 29.492     -     WGCB #45-09-09

Photographed in June of 2022