Museum Covered Bridge

Built in 1845, the Museum Covered Bridge originally spanned the Lamoille River in Cambridge, Vermont. The trusses for the double bridge were assembled in a field next to the chosen site. Measuring 168 feet in length, with two vehicle lanes and a footpath (attached after its original construction), it is an impressive example of the engineering principles and bridge-builder’s craft practiced during the 19th century. The bridge was lighted by kerosene lamps.

During the 1927 Flood the water rose seven feet above its floor.

The bridge replaced a ferry that existed in its place before, connecting two neighborhoods of Cambridge, Vermont

In the late 1940s, Electra Havemeyer Webb of Shelburne Museum, sought to preserve early American life and asked the VT Highway Department to help find a bridge worth preserving. When it was learned that the "Big Bridge" (as it was known at the time) was to be replaced, this "double-barreled" bridge with its walkway was too much to resist.

The Museum dismantled the Covered Bridge in 1949 and moved it to the Museum grounds. The beams still bear the identifying numbers for reconstruction. By situating it above a man-made pond, extensive landscaping integrated the bridge into the grounds. The Covered Bridge served for many years as the Museum’s entrance, but when automobile traffic proved too taxing, the Museum relocated the entrance and retired the bridge from duty.

The current bridge in its original place is The Wrong Way Bridge on State Route 15.