Porter-Parsonsfield Bridge
place in Maine listed on National Register of Historic Places
The Porter-Parsonsfield Bridge is a covered bridge in western Maine, and one of the few 19th-century covered bridges left in the state. The bridge spans the Ossipee River just east of the modern alignment of North Road (Maine State Route 160), which it formerly carried, between the towns of Porter and Parsonsfield. Built in 1876 by the towns, it is a Paddleford truss bridge which has been strengthened with laminated arches. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1960, and is now maintained by the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Description and history
The bridge has two spans, resting on granite block abutments and a central pier. The total length of the bridge is 152 feet (46 m), and it is 26 feet (7.9 m) from the flooring to the peak of the gable roof. The total width is 22 feet (6.7 m); the portals have an internal width of 18 feet (5.5 m) and height of 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m). The bridge trusses are from a design by Peter Paddleford, a modification of the more common Long truss. The laminated arches, a 20th-century addition, consist of 21 layers of planking bolted together, to which the King posts of the truss have also been fastened.
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