Pennsylvania, where they premiered, houses more covered bridges than any other state. But with less landmass and 10 percent of the covered bridges in the country, Vermont still wins the density race. You can drive through them in succession. Unique in New England, this chain of bridges dots a half-mile section of Cox Brook Road. All built in 1872, they are named Station Bridge, Second Bridge and Third Bridge.
People harbor erroneous notions about why covered bridges have tops in the first place.
Another misconception is that the bridges served as giant blinders so horses would not spook while crossing streams and rivers. The simple truth is bridges were covered to keep off rain so that their timbers would not rot, Gilbertson says. Though most folks appreciate the bridges for aesthetic reasons, their beauty is more than skin deep. For anyone who appreciates good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity, it extends to their skeletal structure as well. They used local materials - fairly straight stuff right out of the sawmill.