When Robert Salisbury's son fell in love with covered bridges, he didn't realize that he'd be giving birth to one.

He'd run across pictures of the romantic structures on a calendar and asked his dad where they could find one. Robert was stricken by the fact that there hadn't been any of the bridges on public roads in RI since the last one was dismantled in 1920. We were the only New England state, as a matter of fact, without a public covered bridge.

Though the bridges were originally covered to keep them clear of snow and to protect the wood construction from the weather they're no longer needed since we now use snow ploughs regularly and build them with steel. But covered bridges are works of art and remind us of our history and it was this realization that spurred Salisbury on.

He began a six year long campaign to build one. He negotiated a site across Hemlock Brook with the DOT. He found volunteers who made up weekend work parties to create the fine lattice-trussed bridge from an 1820 design. The Citizen's Bank donated seed money, and the Providence Water Supply Board gave the project timber culls from its Scituate Reservoir property. It really was a public sponsored project.

The dedication of the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge was a cheering one in December of 1992 and Rhode Island could once again hold its head up in the company of its sister states.

But on September 11, 1993, less than a year from the dedication, the bridge was burned down by two young men and a boy from the area. Although one of them offered to help rebuild the bridge with his carpentry skills, he was rejected as money and volunteers poured in from around the state. Although the DOT required the bridge to have a steel-reinforced road deck, it was otherwise true to its original historic design.

That dedication was doubly sweet because it celebrated the real commitment of the state to the presence of this replica bridge, which now had its own dramatic history. 98 year old Lillian Stone was the first to cross it on November 5, 1994.

Today the bridge is a little known treasure in the state, even though it's officially listed as being part of the "leaf-peeper" trail. And though it's the only covered bridge on a public road, it's not the only covered bridge in the state. The Exeter Country Club in Exeter sports a beauty, and Lincoln State Park is in the process of building one on their land this year!

To find the bridge, go west on Rt. 6 from Rt. 295, turn south on Rt. 94 and turn right onto Central Pike. You can see the bridge from Rt. 94, as it is only about 100 yards away.

Photos By Patti Cassidy.

About the author, Patti Cassidy: Patti Cassidy is a writer/photographer/videomaker who lives on an island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. She moved there after spending half of her life in the desert of Arizona. She revels in contrast.

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