Babb's Covered Bridge
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Every town has that one special place, where time seems to stand still, and the new doesn't necessarily replace the old. Growing up in Maine, one tends to find these special nooks in many different places.
Wooden Bridges hold a special place in my heart. It reminds of a a simple time and place,
Town: Gorham/Windham
Position: North 43° 45.968
West 70° 26.878
Span/Total Length: 72 ft/79 ft
Crosses: Presumpscott River
Built during mid 1800s and early 1900s, Maine's wooden bridges provided travelers safe passage accross swifty moving rivers. Once numbering over 120, there are fewerr than 12 wooden bridges remaining today.
Babb's Covered Bridge spans over the Presumpscot River between the Maine towns of Gorham (Hurricane Road) and Windham (River Road). It is also know by locals as the "Covered Bridge Road". Built in 1864, this bridge was considered the oldest wooden bridge in Maine. In 1973 vandals set the bridge on fire destroying the historic scenic landmark. In 1976 an exact replica of the bridge was built and remains standing today.
The bridge was built following a "queenpost truss" design. This type of architecture was used for bridges covering distances of 75 feet or more. It is known as a single span brindge, meaning only 1 vehicle can go throught at a time.
"The ingenious way the old bridges were fitted together becomes apparent as soon as you pass through one of their portals. There, under the protecting roof, on either side, are the posts and crisscrossed braces extending from top to bottom "chord" (the chords are the heavy beams parallel to the line of the roadway). The planks of the floor are supported by the bottom chord in the typical covered bridge, which makes it a "through truss" structure."
