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The Burkeville Covered Bridge from the road approach on a sunny autumn afternoon. A weathered grey board-and-batten covered bridge with a low gabled roof crossing over the South River, a yellow weight-limit sign mounted above the dark portal, a 'WEIGHT LIMIT 4 TONS' sign on the right portal post, metal guardrails leading into the bridge entrance, deciduous trees with green and yellow foliage on the left, and a slim white church spire poking above the trees on the right under a clear blue sky.
Things to See · Historic Site
Burkeville Covered Bridge, Conway, October 2016. Photo by John Phelan, source, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Burkeville Covered Bridge

Conway, Franklin County

Category
Historic Site
Town
Conway
County
Franklin
Admission
Free; viewable from public roads at all times

The Burkeville Covered Bridge carries Main Poland Road over the South River in the small village of Burkeville, in the eastern part of Conway. It was built in 1870 to replace an 1850 bridge that washed out in a flood the year before, and it has stood on the same crossing ever since.

What makes the bridge unusual is its frame: a modified Howe truss in which the vertical members are iron rods used as tension elements, combined with timber diagonals and chords. It is believed to be the oldest surviving timber-and-iron-combination truss in Massachusetts.

The roof partially collapsed under heavy snow in 1975. The bridge was first closed to vehicles in 1980, briefly reopened in 1982 after repairs, then closed again in 1985 for safety. After a long rehabilitation it reopened to one-lane vehicular traffic in November 2013. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

What to see

  • The truss. The iron rods and timber framing are visible from inside the bridge as you walk or drive through; the modified Howe arrangement is the whole reason the bridge is on the National Register.
  • The South River. A quiet stretch of water runs under the bridge; in autumn the surrounding hardwoods turn red and gold.
  • Burkeville village. The bridge anchors a small 19th-century village of farmhouses and a white-steepled church just up the road.

Visiting

The bridge sits on Main Poland Road a short drive east of Conway center on Route 116. There is no formal parking lot, but the road is quiet and there are wide shoulders nearby. The bridge is one-lane and signed with a weight limit, so wait your turn before driving through. It is free to view at any time.

While you’re in town, the Field Memorial Library in Conway center makes an easy second stop.

Sources