West Swanzey Bridge
Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Last checked 2026-11-01 · Sources · More New Hampshire bridges
At a glance
- Status
- Listed in the state's covered bridge inventory[1]
- Year built
- 1832[1]
- Truss type
- Town lattice truss, two-span[1]
- Length
- Not verified
- Vehicle access
- Not verified
- Parking
- Not verified
Directions go to the bridge's mapped point, not a confirmed parking area.
About this bridge
West Swanzey Bridge is a covered bridge in Swanzey, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. It appears in the NH Division of Historical Resources covered bridge inventory. The state record gives its construction date as 1832. Its structure is recorded as town lattice truss, two-span. Wikidata records it as crossing Ashuelot River. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (reference 80000281).
Bridge details
- Town
- Swanzey[1]
- Location / road
- Main Street over the Ashuelot River in West Swanzey.[1]
- Year built
- 1832[1]
- Truss type
- Town lattice truss, two-span[1]
- Maintained by
- Town of Swanzey[1]
- Crosses
- Ashuelot River[2]
- National Register ref.
- 80000281[3]
- Load posting
- Posted for six tons (state inventory)[1]
- NH bridge number
- 5[1]
- World Guide number
- 29-03-04[1]
- Coordinates
- 42.87194, -72.32795[1]
History
The West Swanzey Bridge was constructed by master craftsman Zadoc L. Taft of Swanzey. The bridge originally had two pedestrian sidewalks, but one was removed in 1916. Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company attempted to buy the bridge in 1930 for his museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Fortunately, the select board passed on the offer. The bridge received major repairs in 1972, and heavier traffic was bypassed in 1976. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1993 by Wright Construction Co., Inc. of Mount Holly, Vermont, Dion Engineering of Marlborough, and Dion and Stevens Engineering of Brattleboro, Vermont, for a cost of $500,000. The bridge is known locally as the Thompson Bridge in honor of playwright Denman Thompson of Swanzey. The West Swanzey 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: Length, 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
- Slate Bridge (Swanzey): 1.8 mi straight-line distance, not driving distance
- Sawyer's Crossing Bridge (Swanzey): 2.3 mi straight-line distance, not driving distance
- Coombs Bridge (Winchester): 2.9 mi straight-line distance, not driving distance
- Carlton Bridge (Swanzey): 3.0 mi straight-line distance, not driving distance
- Ashuelot Bridge (Winchester): 8.1 mi straight-line distance, not driving distance
Sources
- NH Division of Historical Resources covered bridge inventory: checked 2026-11-01
- Wikidata: checked 2026-11-01
- National Register of Historic Places (NPS), via Wikidata reference number: checked 2026-11-01
- Wikipedia article (background reading; not used for facts on this page)
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