Month: June 2023

Post Card Friday Nr. 4

Also Mystery Bridge Nr. 199

We are pushing up the Post Card Friday to Thursday to allow for some space for the last segment of the Interview series with the winners of the 2022 Bridgehunter Awards.

Our fourth Post Card Friday series is the same as the 199th Mystery Bridge. It takes us to Bad Brambach in the southwestern part of Saxony towards the Czech border, located 20 kilometers east of Asch. This bridge is one of the most unique of covered bridges in the area. It spans a ravine near a spa resort and park. The bridge is built made of wood, but we don’t know how many times it has been built and rebuilt. A pair of post cards shows the bridge in two different time periods. In one time period (see below), the bridge was built using wooden beams. In one time period (above) it was built using Warren trusses with outriggers. The assumption is that the one above is younger than the one below.

In both cases, there is a covered bridge, whose trusses is a cross between a Howe and a Town Lattice. One may compare this with a Bailey, yet that truss was patented during World War II and made using steel. The portals feature peacock style bracings. One has to assume that the bottom picture dates to the late 1800s to early 1900s whereas the top picture came from the first part of the 1900s; the covered bridge span having been built in the era towards the turn of the Century. But these are all assumptions and more research would be needed to find out when was the this bridge built. Specifically:

  1. When was the first bridge built, counting the covered bridge span?
  2. How many times was the bridge rebuilt?
  3. When was the modern bridge built?
  4. Who was behind the design and construction of the covered bridge, counting the rebuild?

The modern variant appears to have been built 10 years ago. A link to the photos of the new structure can be found here.

Any ideas? Feel free to comment below or in the Chronicles’ social media pages.

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Endangered TRUSS: Harmony Way Bridge

Will the Harmony Way Bridge ever reopen?

Jim Grey of Down the Road brought this bridge to my attention most recently. It has to do with the Harmony Way Bridge, which spans the Wabash River in New Harmony, Indiana. Built in 1930, the multiple-span through truss bridge has been closed to all traffic since 2012, thus causing a lot of inconveniences among commuters and farmers. Despite plans of reopening the structure, the bridge has remained shut with no timeline of if and when it will open. Click on the screen above and read up on the story.

Your Bridge Matters! 🙂

NH’s Covered Bridge Series Part VII: Honoring Arnold Graton

Stark Covered Bridge. Source: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Lifetime Achievement Winner 2022

The last segment of the series on New Hampshire’s Covered Bridges pays tribute to Arnold Graton. While I posted the segment on Kim Varney Chandler’s interview with Arnold Graton for her podcast a few days ago (see post), mine looks at his legacy and how he got into the business. While I had a chance to interview him, it came just as he was busy with the covered bridge business. He did however provide me with some information I could use to write a summary about his life and his work.

2023 marks the 65th anniversary of the bridge-building business that has been family owned but has left an everlasting legacy in building and restoring covered bridges. It started in 1954 with Milton, Arnold’s late father. Milton had a trucking and moving business specialized in large-scale moving of houses and other large buildings. At the same time, he was a self-taught civil engineer, having laid pipes at military bases during World War II and having built roads and tunnels. Through his abundant amount of craftmanship and skills, combined with fairness, Milton had developed a good reputation as a hard worker, honest and one offering fair prices and customer satisfaction.

Milton and Arnold Graton behind a finished covered bridge. Photo courtesy of Arnold Graton

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That year, the 46-year old was given a task that was so daunting, almost no one ever did it. Milton was given the task of relocating a covered bridge in Rumney, which had been sitting abandoned and falling apart for years. It was supposed to have been relocated to another place in town to be converted into a gift shop. On July 3, 1954, a day before work on the bridge’s relocation was to begin, the entire structure collapsed into a heap of wood and rubble in the river. Milton bought the scrap pile and pulled every piece of lumber and panel out of the river. As he pulled the collapsed structure out, he felt the need to preserve the bridge because of its structural integrity. As mentioned in an article written in 2013:

“I was convinced at that time,” he wrote two decades later in his book, The Last of the Covered Bridge Builders, “that to preserve the work of these great honest and true carpenters of one hundred years ago was the duty of every good citizen who would save for posterity that which would never again be reproduced.”

The bridge was eventually restored to its original glory and the idea of restoring and eventually building covered bridges would begin at this point. Enter his son, Arnold and together, they established a family-owned business that has left a mark the business of bridgewrighting.

The business was established in 1958 and it came at that time when the New England states carried out flood control plans. If a historic bridge was directly in the way of the floodwaters and no one wanted to save it, it was eventually removed. This also applied for covered bridges, especially because as they get older, they are prone to the structural elements, such as rust, corrosion, dry rot and wood splits. Therefore before the bridge could be moved, “My father and I would add a little additional support before the move,” explained Arnold in an interview with the Chronicles recently. Their first “replica” of a covered bridge was built in 1958 that same year. It followed with another one in Springfield, Vermont, plus many more restorations and replicas of the original covered bridges to come. All in all, Arnold and Milton had restored a total of 65 covered bridges during their years as a joint-entity. In 1968-69, the Woodstock (Middle) Covered Bridge was built completely from scratch, using the bridge building techniques that existed a century before.

Woodstock Covered Bridge. Source: Gribblenation

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“They preferred hand tools over power machinery, pulled the structures into place with oxen, and cinched together the framing with long wooden pegs called trunnels, which they milled themselves,” according to an article by the Yankee. Like with restoring historic truss bridges, such restoration was done “in-kind,” which means using the original tools and techniques needed for building them in the first place and not using standards established by governments that makes an historic bridge look more “modern.” As reference is the Motor Mill Bridge in Iowa but that story is for a later time.

For covered bridges, this type of “in-kind” restoration and construction of covered bridges was practiced by Milton and was passed down to Arnold over time. “My father has always been an outspoken advocate for correct restoration,” Arnold mentioned during the interview. “He would not work under the constraints of the government and often had disagreements with him over how it should be done. He believed the that the work of the original builder was more than adequate and this work should be respected and saved.” He later added that government constraints in the last 20 years has resulted in having fewer bridgewrights building covered bridges and bridge firms relying on constructing bridges made of steel and concrete.

The Woodstock Bridge was one of 16 covered bridges that were built during their time building bridges together. According to Arnold, the primary truss design used for covered bridges is the Town Lattice, for they are sturdy and easy to construct.

Milton continued to work together with Arnold until shortly before his death in 1994, at which time, Arnold took over the bridge building business and has continued with it ever since. While they continue to restore and build covered bridges, much of the work nowadays has been devoted to repairing the covered bridges, for some have experienced wear and tear, with others have sustained damage caused by overweight trucks. In the case of the Woodstock Covered Bridge, repairs were made by Milton in 1974 after it was damaged through arson. While other cases of arson had been reported in the past, especially with regard to the arson spree in 1992-93, the covered bridges affected by them were eventually rebuilt in-kind. This included the Corbin Covered Bridge, which was rebuilt by Arnold in October 1993, five years after the original structure burned to the ground.

Corbin Covered Bridge. Source: PhotoGo101, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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He still relocates covered bridges if necessary, just like his late father. In one case, he transported parts from a covered bridge from Warner, New Hampshire to a museum in North Carolina. It had been dismantled after it was purchased by Milton in 1966 and after several rejections by the officials in and around the New Hampshire community, it was shipped by Arnold to the new spot in 2008, where he rebuilt it from scratch and it has since been sitting in place for public viewing.

Despite the years of success in the bridge building business, there is one trait that separates Milton from his son, Arnold. And even the Lifetime Achievement winner of 2022 admits that the difference is huge. Milton is very outspoken and has appeared in many TV interviews about his work as a bridgewright, including a few with TV journalist Charles Kuralt. Arnold is the quiet one that prefers the work of tools for building instead of the taking the limelight. And I guess the success speaks for itself. It’s very rare to find a bridge builder that can construct a structure using 18th-19th Century techniques. But when you find one, it’s one that will find creative ways to circumvent the odds, buck the trends of modernism and build (or even rebuild) an original that everyone will appreciate.

It was fun to listen to Arnold talk bridges in a podcast with Kim Varney Chandler, which was why I wanted to find out more to fill in the missing gaps. And with my interview, the main themes are family business and originality. These are the words to describe Arnold Graton and his 65 years in the business, half of which was together with his father, Milton. What was once a small business has become an enterprise based in Holderness. And with restoring and building covered bridges has become a household name in the New England states with dozens credited to the Graton family, it has become a national past time, using the original techniques which Arnold hopes will be passed down to the next generation. If successful, we will continue to see covered bridges being built in the States for the coming generations. For his work, we say congratulations on winning the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. 🙂

Note: At the time of this post, Graton and crew are restoring the Grange City Covered Bridge in Hillsboro, Kentucky. According to Arnold, the restoration will be a complete one, going all the way down to the abutment. Construction is expected to start in the fall. The Chronicles will keep you posted on the project.

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Some Links about Graton can be found via link here:

Arnold Graton Associates: https://www.arnoldmgraton.com/index.htm

The Man Who Saves Covered Bridges: https://newengland.com/yankee/magazine/man-who-saves-covered-bridges/

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BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 250: Guessing Quiz Nr. 2

Amateur photographer Kata Szabó photographed this one recently, which falls in line with the postcard photo I presented in Post Card Friday Nr. 2 a few days ago. Like in that picture, this one features a modern regional train, made by Siemens in Germany, crossing a long, green-colored through truss bridge in the country of Hungary. A nice photo that has a little Christmas feeling, even though the holidays are just a half year off. Hard to believe 2023 is half-way over with.

The question is where in Hungary? Feel free to place your answers here in the comment section below or on the Chronicles’ social media pages. The answer will be revealed next week at this time.

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And before you go, here is the answer to last week’s Pic of the Week Guessing Quiz in connection with our series on New Hampshire’s Covered Bridges. The answers and facts can be found here.

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Your Bridge Matters! ❤

NH’s Covered Bridges Series- Guessing Quiz: ANSWER

And now the answer to last week’s Pic of the Week Guessing Quiz. Kim Varney Chandler photographed this bridge at dusk and we wanted to know where this bridge is located and what the name of the bridge is.

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And here is the answer: 🙂

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ANSWER: Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge

The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge is a two-span Town Lattice Covered Bridge that until 2008, was the longest covered bridge in the United States. With a span of 449 feet (137 meters), it still holds the record for being the longest in the state. Built in 1866 by Bela Jenks Fletcher (1811–1877) of Claremont and James Frederick Tasker (1826–1903) of Cornish, it’s one of the oldest covered bridges in the New England states. It used to be a toll bridge until they were eliminated in 1943. Now, it’s free crossing with light traffic being allowed to use it daily. The bridge has been on the National Register since 1976 and was declared an American Historical Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1970. It spans the Connecticut River between the towns of Cornish, NH and Windsor, Vermont. More information on the bridge can be found in the link here.

Quartoseptcentennial

High Bridge is 175 years old.  And, after a restoration a few years back, looking great. It was built to carry the Croton Aqueduct from the mainland into Manhattan, over the Harlem River, and it’s been a pedestrian path as well for most of its life. The picture above shows the bridge (and the aqueduct pressurization tower) […]

Quartoseptcentennial

Courtesy of Old Structures Engineering.

Covered Bridges of New Hampshire- Dingelton CB

(Dingleton Hill Bridge – #22) New Hampshire is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and a rich, cultural history. Whether you are here for a short stay or are a life-long resident, visiting these state treasures never gets old! Today’s spotlight is Covered Bridge 22, also known as Dingleton Hill Bridge. This bridge is […]

Covered Bridges of New Hampshire- #22 Cornish, NH

This blog specializes in covered bridges in New Hampshire. Here’s an example of one to look at.

🌉 BHC

Post Card Friday Nr. 3

This postcard photo I found at a flea market most recently is one of the most impressive photos ever taken. It features a diesel locomotive entering a through truss bridge, chugging out smoke and speeding as quickly as possible towards the photographer.

This was taken in the 1960s-70s as attempting to photopgraph on a railroad bridge nowadays is forbidden by law- both in Europe as well as in the USA. Given the increasing lengths of trains in the latter, plus the winds of high-speed trains in the former, such bans are justified for safety reasons. Still some people do try this stunt, especially on bridges that are sparsely used, just to make a statement by saying “I did it!” But going on a daredevil stunt should be accompanied with one element:

By making such a post card like this. After all, bragging rights and art, in this case, are getting too rare to find. 🙂

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