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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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West Cornwall or Hart, Litchfield County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: CT/07-03-02
County: Litchfield County
Township: Cornwall
Town/Village: West Cornwall
Bridge Name: West Cornwall or Hart
Crosses: Housatonic River
Truss type: Modified Town & Queen
Spans: 2
Length: 173'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1864
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N41 52.294
Longitude: W073 21.827
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 260' east of jct US7 on CT128 at West Cornwall.

West Cornwall or Hart Bridge, Cornwall, Litchfield County, CT Built 1841
Ben Caswell Photo, January 18, 2024

West Cornwall or Hart Bridge, Cornwall, Litchfield County, CT Built 1841
Richard Donovan Collection

West Cornwall or Hart Bridge, Cornwall, Litchfield County, CT Built 1841
Michael DeVito Collection

West Cornwall or Hart Bridge, Cornwall, Litchfield County, CT Built 1841
Bill Caswell Photo, February 4, 2016
West Cornwall or Hart Bridge, Cornwall, Litchfield County, CT Built 1841
Ben Caswell Photo, January 18, 2024

Comments:
While some sources list the West Cornwall Bridge's construction date as 1841, it was more likely constructed in 1864. It has been said that the West Cornwall Bridge was originally built as a single span bridge with the center pier being added in 1924 to provide extra strength. However, the Cornwall Historical Society has a 1913 photograph of the bridge showing this extra pier. The bridge stands at the western side of West Cornwall. It was also called Hart's Bridge after an early settler in the area. Early pictures show squared portals that were replaced with more typical gable entryways during repairs in 1946. During the winter of 1960-61 it was threatened by an ice jam. On February 26, 1961, the ice was dynamited and the water level dropped back below the bridge. The West Cornwall Bridge has an unusual truss design, a Town truss sandwiched in between two Queenpost trusses. It is similar in design to the Bull's Bridge.

Sources:
DeVito, Michael C.. Connecticut's Old Timbered Crossings, 1964, page 16
Caswell, William S. Jr.. Images of America - Connecticut & Rhode Island Covered Bridges, 2011, Pages 15, 26-29
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 5

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If the intended use is beyond these purposes, it is the responsibility of the user to obtain the appropriate permissions from the owner stated in the image's credits.