By Rafe Calder
Hartland Covered Bridge is 390.75 metres long in Parks Canada’s figure, and every source we read agrees that it is the longest covered bridge in the world. What they do not agree on is when it got its roof.
The facts that hold
The bridge crosses the Saint John River between Hartland and Somerville, New Brunswick. Parks Canada’s heritage entry describes Howe truss construction with iron tension rods, wood framing, vertical weatherboarding, a gabled roof, concrete piers and abutments, an attached pedestrian walkway, and shingled arched openings at each end. HistoricPlaces.ca, the Canadian register of historic places, says the upriver side of each pier is tapered to break ice flows.
The Town of Hartland says the bridge was complete on 14 May 1901. The town’s page adds that, because of an emergency, the first crossing happened about twelve hours early on the night of 13 May, when workers laid planks so a doctor could drive his buggy over. The formal opening, both say, was on 4 July 1901.
It started as a toll bridge
HistoricPlaces.ca says the bridge opened as a toll bridge and was not originally covered. The town says it was formed as a company: the Hartland Bridge Company was set up by citizens on both sides of the river. The town also says the New Brunswick government bought the bridge in 1906.
We have left out the bids, estimates and costs that the town and Wikipedia both give, because dollar figures from 1898 and 1901 are hard to interpret without context we do not have. One thing is worth noting without the numbers: the town says an 1898 estimate for a permanent steel bridge was far higher than the bid that won, and that the board accepted the lower bid from a bidder from Woodstock.
Why cover a bridge?
Parks Canada gives the practical reason: the roof and siding protect the wooden truss joints from rot. Wikipedia gives no stated reason for this bridge, saying only that it became covered after being rebuilt following weather damage in early 1920, and that the covering proposal was controversial. Our reading: both can be true. The practical case is general, and the controversy is local. The sources do not put the two together.
What happened in 1920, and when was the roof put on?
This is where the sources diverge.
| Source | What it says about the damage | When it was covered |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Storm damage in April 1920; repairs reopened the bridge on 7 March 1921 | A roof added in 1921 |
| Town of Hartland | On 6 April 1920 river ice destroyed two spans | In 1922, repaired and covered |
| Parks Canada, designation page | A spring ice jam washed out two spans in 1920 | Early 1922, repaired and fully covered |
| HistoricPlaces.ca | Repairs in 1919 to 1921 after excessive spring flooding | Repairs covered the entire bridge |
Three sources, three accounts of the damage and two years for the roof.
One designation, two dates
Parks Canada’s page says the bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on 17 November 1977, and Wikipedia gives the same date. The Town of Hartland says it became a National Historic Site on 23 June 1980. HistoricPlaces.ca says it was commemorated as a structure of National Architectural Significance in 1980. Our reading: the 1980 date in the last two sources may refer to a different federal recognition, but neither page says so, and we cannot tell. Wikipedia and the town both give 15 September 1999 for a provincial designation, calling it a Provincial Heritage Place and a Provincial Historic Site respectively.
Why the Howe truss
Parks Canada says the bridge is an example of the Howe truss, which New Brunswick adopted widely after 1840, and calls the bridge “believed to be by far the longest” surviving covered bridge. The town says the bridge was built from cedar, spruce and hard pine by local businesses and trades. Wikipedia says only that it has concrete piers and a wooden truss, and does not name the wood. We do not know which timbers have been replaced since 1901.
The walkway
A covered walkway sits on the side. The town says it was added in 1945. Parks Canada’s page says the 1940s and, in one section, 1943. HistoricPlaces.ca says the walkway runs the same length as the bridge.
Dates in order
- 14 May 1901: complete; 4 July 1901: formal opening (Wikipedia, Town of Hartland).
- 1906: sold to the provincial government (Town of Hartland).
- 1920: ice, storm or flood damage, depending on the source.
- 1921 or 1922: roof added, depending on the source.
- Mid-1940s: walkway added.
- 1977 or 1980: national designation, depending on the source.
What kind of sources these are
Wikipedia, which anyone can edit. A town’s own history page. Two federal heritage records, one of which contradicts itself. We read no engineering study and no archive record, and so the structure’s present condition is outside what this note can say.
What we left out
All costs, bids and tolls. Opening or closing times for the bridge and any traffic rules. Who maintains it today. Anything about the surrounding town beyond its name.
Quick answers
How long is the Hartland Covered Bridge? Parks Canada’s heritage record gives it as 390.75 metres.
Why are covered bridges roofed? Parks Canada’s heritage record says the roof and siding protect the wooden truss joints from rot.
When was the Hartland bridge roofed? Sources differ. The Town of Hartland and Parks Canada’s designation page say 1922. HistoricPlaces.ca says it opened as a toll bridge and was not originally covered.
Related on this site: bay-of-fundy-hopewell-rocks-tides, montreal-bagel-honey-wood-fired-mile-end, butter-tart-first-recipe-barrie-1900
Roam first. Shop later.