Covered Bridges of New Hampshire
This podcast is the companion to Covered Bridges of New Hampshire by Kim Varney Chandler, the most comprehensive history of New Hampshire’s covered bridges in print.
New Hampshire is home to more than 60 authentic covered bridges, 46 of them over a century old. They remain today because a dedicated community recognized their significance and chose to preserve them.
On this podcast, Kim speaks with the people connected to these bridges in a variety of ways—engineers, historians, preservationists, town officials, authors, photographers, and community advocates. Together, they explore preservation efforts, restoration projects, community identity, tourism, threats, stewardship, and the evolving role these structures play across the Granite State.
Whether you are deeply familiar with covered bridges or simply curious about the stories they carry, this podcast offers thoughtful discussion on all things related to covered bridges in New Hampshire.
Recipient of the 2023 Second Place Award for Best Audio Podcast from the New Hampshire Press Association.
Episodes
21 episodes
The Lost Bridges of Cheshire County with Alan Rumrill
Kim talks with Alan Rumrill, Executive Director of the Historical Society of Cheshire County. Alan shares the rich history of the lost bridges of the Monadnock area and why the remaining covered bridges are valued by the community. Link...
The Dalton Family with Rebecca Courser
Kim talks with Warner historian Rebecca Courser about the namesake of the Dalton Bridge. Rebecca shares with us a history of the town of Warner, the Dalton family, and just who exactly the covered bridge was named after.Links from...
The Prodigal Son Denman Thompson with Lee Dunham
Kim talks with lifelong Swanzey resident Lee Dunham about the namesake of the Thompson covered bridge. Lee walks us through the exciting life of actor and playwright Denman Thompson and his production, The Old Homestead; and how integral the pl...
The Columbia Bridge with Stacey Campbell and Sharon Ellingwood White
Kim talks with two women who live on either side of the Columbia Bridge in northern New Hampshire. Columbia, New Hampshire, resident Stacey Campbell and Lemington, Vermont, resident Sharon Ellingwood White, share how the location of the Columbi...
The Poet John Greenleaf Whittier with Kaleigh Paré Shaughnessy
Kim talks with Kaleigh Paré Shaughnessy, Executive Director of the John Greenleaf Whittier Birthplace, about the namesake of the Whittier Bridge in Ossipee. Kaleigh tells us the story of how a young Massachusetts poet transitioned from a fierce...
The Slate Covered Bridge Committee with Francis W. Faulkner, Jr.
Kim interviews Francis Faulkner, Jr. of Swanzey, about his involvement in fundraising efforts to rebuild the Slate Bridge after it was destroyed by arson in 1993. Francis shares the many layers of funding through the process of town meeting and...
The Langdon Covered Bridge Association with Marilyn Stuller
Kim interviews Marilyn Stuller of Langdon about her experience leading the fundraising efforts to save Langdon’s two historic covered bridges. Marilyn shares the story of the organic process that took fourteen years to complete and the va...
The Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Resource Center with Trish Kane
Kim talks with Trish Kane, Collections Curator of the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Resource Center in Oxford, New York. Trish shares a history of the center, the significance of its namesake, and her personal journey in the preservation of hist...
The Master Bridgewright Arnold M. Graton
Kim talks with master bridgewright Arnold M. Graton of Holderness about his long career preserving and restoring historic structures, most notably, covered bridges. Arnold shares his experiences utilizing nineteenth-century construction t...
The Covered Bridges of Plainfield & Cornish with Steve Taylor
Kim talks with Steve Taylor of Plainfield about the importance of covered bridges in New Hampshire communities. Steve explains how a practical approach to bridge building has translated into part of our cultural cache and how important these co...
The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance with Jennifer Goodman
Kim interviews New Hampshire Preservation Alliance Executive Director Jennifer Goodman about historic preservation efforts in the state and their impact on saving covered bridges. Join us for a conversation about successful preserva...
The Durgin Family with Jim Mykland
Kim interviews Sandwich Historical Society Director Jim Mykland about the Durgin family of Sandwich and their namesake covered bridge. Learn about the Durgin's influence on the political climate of Sandwich in the mid-nineteenth century ...
The Bath Bridge Rehabilitation with Sean James
Kim interviews engineer Sean James, Senior Vice President at Hoyle, Tanner & Associates in Manchester about the twenty-one month-long rehabilitation of the Bath Bridge in Bath, New Hampshire. Sean walks us through the process of carrying ou...
The Bement Bridge Rehabilitation with Josif Bicja and Karen Hambleton
Kim interviews two people who were instrumental in the 2021 rehabilitation of the Bement Bridge in Bradford. Town Administrator Karen Hambleton and engineer Josif Bicja from Hoyle Tanner share their experiences with the project and walk us thro...
The Paddleford Truss with Bob Durfee
Kim interviews engineer Bob Durfee of DuBois & King about bridgewright Peter Paddleford and his unique truss design. Learn why even though it was never patented, the Paddleford truss dominated covered bridge construction in northern New Eng...
The Ashuelot Bridge Rehabilitation with Tim Andrews
Kim interviews bridgewright Tim Andrews about the 1999 rehabilitation of the Ashuelot Bridge in Winchester. This project won the first Palladio Award for covered bridges in 2003. Tim shares details about the work and interesting things th...
The Historic American Engineering Record with Christopher Marston
Kim interviews architect Christopher Marston, project leader of the Historic American Engineering Record, and its National Covered Bridge Recording Project, through which over one hundred historic covered bridges were documented, includin...
The Town Truss with Sean James
Kim interviews engineer Sean James, Senior Vice President at Hoyle, Tanner & Associates in Manchester about the Town Truss. This lattice truss design was first patented by Ithiel Town in 1820 and has since been regarded as one of the most s...
The Bath Bridge with Craig Pursley
Kim interviews artist Craig Pursley, who lives and works on either side of the Bath Bridge in Bath, New Hampshire. Craig serves as a docent of sorts of the second oldest covered bridge in the state and shares local folklore and history of the h...
The National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges
For the inaugural episode, Kim interviews members of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, including President Bill Caswell and co-vice presidents Bob Watts and Scott Wagner about their passion for covered bridges and th...
Trailer - Covered Bridges of New Hampshire
Join Kim as she interviews members of the covered bridge community in New Hampshire. Whether you're a covered bridge expert, or, know very little about covered bridges, this podcast is for you! Please subscribe to the podcast so you don't...
