Shushan Bridge

Infobox Bridge
bridge_name = Shushan Bridge


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crosses = Battenkill
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open = 1858
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Infobox_nrhp | name =Shushan Covered Bridge
nrhp_type =
locmapin = New York


caption =
location= Shushan, NY
lat_degrees = 43 | lat_minutes = 5 | lat_seconds = 27.8 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 73 | long_minutes = 20 | long_seconds = 45.19 | long_direction = W
area =
built =1858
architect= Milton Stevens
architecture=
added = March 08, 1978cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Private
mpsub=Covered Bridges of Washington County TR
refnum=78003460

Shushan Bridge is a covered bridge over the Batten Kill in the hamlet of Shushan in Washington County, New York, near Vermont. It is one of 29 surviving historic covered bridges in New York State, and one of 4 surviving in Washington County.

It was built in 1858 by builder Milton Stevens.

Town and Howe truss designs were patented by Ithiel Town in 1820 and William Howe (architect) in 1840, respectively. The Shushan Bridge employs "the patented Town lattice truss, consisting of top and bottom chords of laminated wood plank, and a web of diagonal wood planks connected by wood trunnels at each point of intersection".

It was individually inventoried by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 1977.cite web|last=Smith|first=R.W.|title=Building/Structure Inventory: Shushan Covered Bridge |url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=10041 |date=December, 1977|accessdate=2008-02-08|publisher=Division of Historic Preservation, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]

It is one of four Washington County covered bridges submitted for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in one multiple property submission.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://www.nr.nps.gov/multiples/64000546.pdf Covered Bridges of Washington County TR / Buskirk, Rexleigh, Eagleville, and Shushan Covered Bridges] |708 KiB |date=December, 1977 |author=Raymond W. Smith |publisher=National Park Service] The others are the Buskirk Bridge, the Rexleigh Bridge, and Eagleville Bridge. All four were listed on the National Register on March 8, 1972.

The Shushan bridge was closed to traffic in 1962, and was left abandoned for 10 years, then saved by local preservation efforts. Now it is operated as a seasonal museum.

References

External links

* [http://www.salem-ny.com/shushmus.html Shushan Covered Bridge (official site?)]
* [http://www.nycoveredbridges.org/page32.html Shushan Bridge, at New York State Covered Bridge Society]
* [http://www.coveredbridgesite.com/ny/shushan.html Shushan Bridge, at Covered Bridges of the Northeast USA, a website developed by Hank Brickel]