CoveredCrossingsCovered bridges of New England

Cornish-Windsor Bridge

Cornish, Sullivan County, New Hampshire

Last checked 2026-11-01 · Sources · More New Hampshire bridges

Cornish-Windsor Bridge, Cornish, New Hampshire
Photo: Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), creator, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized from the original.

At a glance

Status
Listed in the state's covered bridge inventory[1]
Year built
1866[1]
Truss type
Town lattice truss, two-span[1]
Length
460' long[1]
Vehicle access
Not verified
Parking
Not verified

Directions to mapped location

Directions go to the bridge's mapped point, not a confirmed parking area.

About this bridge

Cornish-Windsor Bridge is a covered bridge in Cornish, Sullivan County, New Hampshire. It appears in the NH Division of Historical Resources covered bridge inventory. The state record gives its construction date as 1866. Its structure is recorded as town lattice truss, two-span. Wikidata records it as crossing Connecticut River. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (reference 76000135). It spans the state line and also appears in Vermont's inventory as the Windsor-Cornish Covered Bridge (Windsor).

Bridge details

Town
Cornish[1]
Location / road
Cornish Toll Bridge Road, Cornish NH[1]
Year built
1866[1]
Truss type
Town lattice truss, two-span[1]
Length
460' long[1]
Maintained by
New Hampshire Department of Transportation[1]
Crosses
Connecticut River[2]
National Register ref.
76000135[3]
Load posting
Posted for ten tons (state inventory)[1]
NH bridge number
20[1]
World Guide number
29-10-09[1]
Also known as
Cornish Bridge, Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, Cornish–Windsor Bridge[2]
Coordinates
43.47371, -72.38400[1]

History

There were three bridges previously built on this site in 1796, 1824 and 1828. The first bridges were destroyed by floods. The current bridge was built by James Tasker and Bela Fletcher. It was framed on a nearby meadow northwest of the site and later moved to its proper location. In 1935, the New Hampshire General Court authorized funds to purchase the bridge. The structure was purchased by the state in 1936 and operated as a toll bridge until June 1, 1943. After renovation by the state in 1954, the Cornish Windsor Bridge suffered damage from flood water and ice in 1977. It was repaired again by the state for $25,000. Because of its deteriorated condition, it was closed to traffic on July 2, 1987. The bridge was reconstructed by the state in 1989 at a cost of $4,450,000 and was opened to traffic on December 8, 1989. This is the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world. The American Society of Civil Engineers designated it as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970. The bridge is featured on the Town Bicentennial Medal struck in 1976. The Cornish-Windsor Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

Text as published in the NH Division of Historical Resources covered bridge inventory, checked 2026-11-01.

Visiting

We have no official parking, accessibility or opening information for this bridge. Many covered bridges sit on working town roads. Park only where it is legal and safe, respect private property and posted signs, and check town or state notices for closures.

Not verified

We have not found an official source for: Vehicle access, Parking, Accessibility, Opening hours or seasonal closures. We leave these blank rather than guess. Never assume a road means you can drive, park or walk here.

Map

Red dot: this bridge. Green dots: nearest bridges in our list. Distances are straight-line, not driving.

Nearby bridges

Sources

  1. NH Division of Historical Resources covered bridge inventory: checked 2026-11-01
  2. Wikidata: checked 2026-11-01
  3. National Register of Historic Places (NPS), via Wikidata reference number: checked 2026-11-01
  4. Vermont ANR / VTrans covered bridges map layer: checked 2026-11-01

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