Smith, Arthur A., Covered Bridge

wica eore nd ho of ne bat of kouce il. The Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge spans the North River at Lyonsville, about It is approached on a short stretch of secondary road leading west off Route 112. The setting is rural and picturesque with rocks and ledges bordering the river and a steep, wooded hill crowned by the First Baptist Church rising from the west bank. Fields of corn and grass line the east bank adjacent to the bridge. The bridge measures 100 feet in length, with an outside width of 17 feet, and an inside width of 12 feet. Its wooden structural design features the original multiple king post truss construction with added laminated Burr arches. The gable pitched roof is covered with slate shingles; exterior sheathing is vertical boards.

Originally, the bridge was constructed in 1869-70 farther down the river in Shattuckville, a Colrain village south of Lyonsville and Colrain Center. It was known as the Fox Bridge, in reference to the nearby Fox Tavern (now gone). Damaged by flood waters in 1878, the bridge was abandoned until 1896, when the Colrain selectmen had it re-erected on the "Arthur A. Smith Flats." It may have replaced an earlier plank bridge at this location. In 1920, laminated Burr arches were added to strengthen the bridge so that the Carey Cider and Vinegar Company could transport heavier loads across it. At present, it is uncertain whether Burr arches were present prior to this date. The bridge is presently in need of repair and has been closed to traffic for the past year.

Restoration efforts have been initiated by the town, but have not been completed due to lack of funds. In 1980, the original two-inch oak floor boards were replaced with four-inch hemlock boards.

(in one paragraph) Builder/Architect Unknown The Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge retains integrity of design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. One of four extant covered bridges in the Commonwealth, it is unique in employing Burr truss construction. Although moved from its original location in 1896, the bridge has kept its essential physical charac- teristics and sits in a similar setting. It remains historically significant for its association with the development of the town of Colrain and, when moved, was ne ogm of Cotrain and, when aoyed, wat renamed for a locally prominent citizen. The bridge thus meets criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places.

The town of Colrain was initially settled in 1732 by members of the Smith family, possibly ancestors of Arthur A. Smith, and incorporated in 1761. The predominantly hilly terrain in the town proved suitable for grazing and dairy farming; the North River, which flows almost directly south through Colrain from the Vermont border to Shelburne, Massachusetts, provided abundant waterpower for sawmills, gristmills, fulling mills and - in the 19th century - large textile mills. One such cotton manufacturing firm was established in 1832 at Shattuckville, the site of the first cotton yarn mill in Franklin County (1814).

Following a major flood in 1869, which destroyed or damaged this and many other industries and bridges on the river, restorative work included reconstruction of the Shattuck Mills at double the previous capacity and erection of a new "Fox Bridge." In 1878, the waters of the North River again rose seriously high, leaving the bridge unsafe for travel and it sat, deteriorating, until moved to its present site in 1896.