The 1872 West Dummerston Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge spanning the West River in Dummerston, Windham County, Vermont. West Dummerston, at 280 feet, is the longest covered bridge entirely within the state of Vermont.

The West Dummerston bridge is built in two spans, resting on a central pier that extends a combined length of 269 feet along the floor. The Westerly span is 140 feet long, and the easterly is 124 feet. The pier and the abutments supporting the ends of the bridge are constructed of stone blocks. The abutments are anchored to the underlying bedrock with iron reinforcing rods.

On the exterior, the large planks pegged together diagonally to form the trusses (and sidewalls) of the bridge are sheathed with flush boards hung vertically. Rectangular openings in the sidewalls near each corner of the bridge were added early in the automobile era to provide increased visibility of oncoming traffic. Six diamond-shaped windows were later cut on each side of the bridge to allow more light to enter the interior.

The ends of the bridge were originally flat and sheathed with horizontal siding of flush boards. Now, however, the gable ends overhang the portals, and clapboards have replaced the flush boards. Both ends of the bridge and the wooden siding that protects the ends of the trusses immediately inside the portals have been painted white. The roof of the bridge, originally shingled in wood, has been covered with corrugated metal sheeting. The floor of the bridge has been paved to prevent damage from weathering.

In about 1942, the bridge deck underwent extensive repairs, including the replacement of both structural members and deck planking. Two laminated stringers have been added to the underside of the floor parallel to the trusses for reinforcement. Each stringer consists of short timbers tied together. This was done to strengthen the bridge for heavier vehicular traffic.

The bridge was built in 1872 by master builder Caleb Lamson and is the only known surviving example of his work in Windham County. It is the longest covered bridge entirely within the state: the Scott Covered Bridge in Townshend is 277 feet long, and the Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge (spanning the Connecticut River into New Hampshire) is the nation's longest, at 449 feet.

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

Length of largest span:  140.1 feet
Total length:  269 feet
Deck width:  12.1 feet
Vertical clearance above deck:  8.7 feet

West Dummerston Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1973.

Located at:  N42 56.195   W72 36.768       -       WGCB #45-13-02 #2

Photographed in July of 2019

Photos by Millard Farmer