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Smith River Covered Bridge Replica Moved to Pease Library
By DoNNa RhoDe
PLYMOUTH—After 30 years, a replica of the historic Smith Cov- ered Bridge has a new home where the public can see what the struc- ture that once spanned the Baker River in Plymouth looked like for 143 years.
On Wednesday, April 30, a team of volunteers from the Plym- outh Historical Society carefully transported the display a short dis- tance from its previous location at Norway Bank in downtown Plym- outh to the Pease Library. The his- torical society said the large and heavy display was carried by Steve Ahern, Marshall, Louise, Judy and Steve Rand as Plymouth Police Department blocked traffic briefly
to facilitate move.
Smith Bridge was built in 1850.
For decades, it provided easy access across the river to other parts of the town and west to neighboring Rumney. According to the N.H. Tour Guide, the historic covered bridge was even listed in the World Guide of Covered Bridges as Number 29-05-10. Locally, it was N.H. Covered Bridge Number 44.
On April 16, 1993, however, the wooden bridge was destroyed in a tragic fire, leaving residents of Plymouth and other nearby com- munities with fond memories of the old covered bridge heartbro- ken. The town was determined to rebuild it, and in 2001, the first ve- hicles were able to cross the Baker
River once more on the newly completed Smith Millennium Cov- ered Bridge. In keeping with the history of the town, the new struc- ture was constructed in the same historic manner as the original.
The purpose of a covered bridge in the 1800s was to pro- tect it from harsh weather. The roof and sides not only protected the wooden trusses of the bridge from winds and rain, but also kept it clear of snow in the winter, al- lowing for safer crossing. In time, many of these bridges were lost to fire, like Smith Bridge, along with floods, arson, lightning, and decay. Many were lost to “progress,” too, as a move was made to replace some with sturdier iron bridges. Fortunately, many like the Smith
A crew of volunteers for the Plymouth Historical Society recently moved a replica of the old Smith Covered Bridge to its new home on the lower level of the Pease Public Library. Photo Courtesy
Millennium Bridge were built in their place to maintain their his- toric significance. Another nearby example is the beautiful one-lane Blair Bridge in Campton.
Today, there is a bit of debate as to how many of these historic
bridges remain in New Hamp- shire. Some records show there are 54, some say 58, while still another says 60. In addition to those num- bers, there are still others located on private property that are not ac- cessible to the public. In New En- gland, Vermont holds the record for the most covered bridges, with a count of reportedly 106 remain- ing, while some figures show that on the East Coast, Pennsylvania has more than 200.
The Plymouth Historical Soci- ety is grateful to Pease Public Li- brary Director Becky White, who generously made room for the Smith Covered Bridge replica to be displayed on the library's lower level. The public is invited to stop by to admire it and perhaps even check out a book to learn more about these highly photographed and most beloved structures that dot our New Hampshire coun- tryside. The library is located at 1 Russell St. in downtown Plymouth, and their hours, activities, and spe- cial events can be found on their website.
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