Brown Bridge

Rutland County · Upper Cold River Road on the west side of the bridge, Shrewsbury

Built in 1880 and named after a Shrewsbury family, Brown Bridge is an exceptional illustration of 19th-century covered bridge construction and an outstanding example of a Town lattice truss, one of the most significant American timber truss types. Patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town, the truss system consists of a rectangular timber frame connected by sawn planks arranged in the form of a lattice and fastened together with wooden pegs. Brown Bridge is the best surviving example of the work of Nichols M. Powers, a prolific covered bridge builder from Clarendon. The bridge spans Cold River, using indigenous materials as its northwest abutment. Brown Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 2014.

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Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

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Marker data: Vermont Division for Historic Preservation

More markers nearby

On the National Register nearby

Brown Covered Bridge70 ft
Brown Bridge100 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.