Village Squire, 1973-04, Page 29Covered
bridges
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eastern
tour
In New Brunswick and the Eastern
Townships of Quebec, they used to be
called "kissing bridges" in days gone
by.
It was because, in an age when mo-
rals were somewhat more severe than
they are today, lovers used to hide in
them to steal a kiss.
There were at least a thousand co-
vered bridges in Quebec and probably
as many in New Brunswick in the ear-
ly days of this century. They were
scattered here, there and everywhere
around the countryside, on highways
and byways and crossing streams and
rivers.
But, as time went by, many fell
victim to fire, storms, spring floods
and man himself. Modern needs also
aided in their disappearance. Since
most of the bridges could not be int-
egrated into modern road networks,
they were replaced by concrete and
steel structures.
So thorough was the process that to-
day there are scarcely 150 left in Que-
bec and about 140 in New Brunswick.
In Ontario which never did have many,
there is only one, and Nova Scotia
has one or two.
The wooden bridges, with their sh-
ingled or corrugated -iron roofing, are
of American origin, the first
appearing in Pennsylvania and various
eastern states in the early 19th cent-
ury.
Contrary to what is sometimes be-
lieved, they were not covered to
have been built right alongside, lea-
ving the old bridges intact. Most
At one time there were at least a thousand 'kissing
bridges' in Quebec and probably as many in New Bruns-
wick. Now they number less than 300 and if you like
exploring the countryside you come across them in the
most unexpected places.
therefore can easily be reached by
road.
A legend or name associated with
a local event was often attached to a
particular bridge. For instance,
near Lake Megantic in the Eastern
Townships, a man committed suicide
shelter the users from inclement wea-
ther but to make the bridges them-
selves last longer by protecting the
wooden deck and main beams. Snow
was spread on the deck in winter to
make it easier for sleighs to use the
bridges. Skilled carpenters, special-
izing in building covered bridges,
were hired by small rural municipa-
lities or individuals.
Some were toll bridges, and old
wodden panels listing the rates for
harnessed vehicles, horse or cattle can
still be found. Local merchants often
used the entrance or side walls of the
bridges to advertise implements use-
ful to farmers, remedies and house-
hold products.
When night came on, sometimes
the inside would be lit by lanterns,
which on windy days, cast disturbing
shadows, giving some bridges the re-
putation of being haunted.
The old covered bridges provide
interesting traces of the past and if
you like travelling around the coun-
tryside, you will come across them
in the most unexpected places. They
will also acquaint you with places
previously unknown to you.
In some instances, where the bri-
dges had become dangerous for aut-
omobile traffic, modern structures
by throwing himself from a bridge.
And for a long time afterwards, neig-
hbourhood farmers claimed that on
some evenings they could hear his
shouts.
Then there is Jonah's Bridge near
Elgin in New Brunswick. It was named
after a farmer, Hairy Jonah, who was
one day herding his animals across the
bridge when it collapsed.
Still in New Brunswick, we come
upon the Dan Cupid Bridge, the "Bri-
dge to Nowhere" and "The Twins'
Bridge" in St. Martins, and also a few
"travelling bridges", so called because
the spring floods inevitably tear them
from their supports and carry them
downstream to the next village.
In Quebec, most covered bridges
are found in the earliest settled areas
such as the Eastern Townships, the
Gatineau Valley, the area around
Quebec City and some parts of the
Gaspe Peninsula. Most, and frequen-
tly the longest and sturdiest, are loc-
ated in Compton, Labelle, Missisquoi,
Abitibi -West, Matapedia, Stanstead
and Rimouski counties. The shortest,
48 feet long, is at Saint -Armand Ou-
est, and the longest, measuring alm-
ost 500 feet, is at Notre -Dame de la
Providence in the Beauce area.
Last summer, near Sherbrooke, lo-
cal craftsmen decided to convert an
old covered bridge, closed to traffic,
into a bar -restaurant combination
where "objets d'art" were also sold.
Their idea met with some success.
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