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Meriden or Mill, Sullivan County

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Inventory Number: NH/29-10-08
State of New Hampshire Number: 24
County: Sullivan County
Township: Plainfield
Town/Village: Meriden
Bridge Name: Meriden or Mill
Crosses: Blood's Brook
Truss type: Multiple King
Spans: 1+
Length: 80'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1880
Builder: James F. Tasker
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N43 33.204
Longitude: W072 15.949
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 1.0 miles northwest of NH120 and main intersection in Meriden on Main St., then just left on Colby Hill Rd. Northwest of Meriden.

Meriden or Mill Bridge, Plainfield, Sullivan County, NH Built 1880
Richard E. Roy Collection

Meriden or Mill Bridge, Plainfield, Sullivan County, NH Built 1880
Bill Caswell Photo, January 28, 2018

Meriden or Mill Bridge, Plainfield, Sullivan County, NH Built 1880
Bill Caswell Photo, August 8, 2010

Comments:
The current bridge is the third one on this site. The previous two were open timber structures. The present bridge was built by James Tasker for a fee of $465. Levi Sanderson was paid $220 for building the bridge abutments. After being damaged by Hurricane Carol on August 30, 1954, it was repaired at a cost of $3,000. In 1963, the bridge was rebuilt and steel beams were introduced to carry a load of fifteen tons. This is thought to be the first covered bridge in New Hampshire to be repaired under the state's Town Bridge Aid program. In the spring 1977, heavy snows caused the roof to cave in. The repairs cost $8,296. In 1985, the state repaired the substructure for $57,000. The bridge is also known as Mill Bridge. The Meriden 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 47
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume XV, No. 2, July 1957, page 3
Knoblock, Glenn A.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges, 2002, page 36
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 53
Chandler, Kim Varney. Covered Bridges of New Hampshire, 2022, Pages 91-94