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Mechanic Street, Coös County

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Inventory Number: NH/29-04-06
State of New Hampshire Number: 31
County: Coös County
Township: Lancaster
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Mechanic Street
Crosses: Israel River
Truss type: Paddleford
Spans: 1
Length: 94'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1862
Builder: Charles Richardson
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N44 29.214
Longitude: W071 33.860
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.1 miles southeast of jct US3 (north) on US2, then 0.3 miles left on Mechanic St.

Mechanic Street Bridge, Lancaster, Coös County, NH Built 1862
Richard E. Roy Collection

Mechanic Street Bridge, Lancaster, Coös County, NH Built 1862
Bill Caswell Photo

Mechanic Street Bridge, Lancaster, Coös County, NH Built 1862
Bill Caswell Photo (1984)

Mechanic Street Bridge, Lancaster, Coös County, NH Built 1862
Bob Sheldon Photo, September 11, 2011

Mechanic Street Bridge, Lancaster, Coös County, NH Built 1862
Bill Caswell Photo, September 8, 2013

Mechanic Street Bridge, Lancaster, Coös County, NH Built 1862
Todd Clark Collection

Comments:
12-panel truss. At a meeting on July 19, 1862, shortly after the construction of the bridge, the citizens of Lancaster voted to instruct the selectmen to put a sign board at each end of the bridge that prohibited driving across the bridge at a pace faster than a walk. In 1962, Lancaster requested the state to provide an estimate for rehabilitation of the Mechanic Street covered bridge. The total cost was estimated to be $18,000 of which $10,800 was to be the responsibility of the town with the remainder to be furnished by the state. The town took no action on this estimate at their annual town meeting, however, the abutments were repaired in 1967 by the state. This bridge is also known as the Israels River Bridge. The Mechanic Street Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sources:
Marshall, Richard G.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges : A Link With Our Past, 1994, page 59
Knoblock, Glenn A.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges, 2002, pages 15, 70
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 47
Chandler, Kim Varney. Covered Bridges of New Hampshire, 2022, Pages 122-124