Bridging the Span between Art, History, Nature and Farming

The Conway Public Library has reunited four paintings of local covered bridges for the first time in ten years. 

Each of the paintings depicts a local historic bridge during a different season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. 

For a driving tour to visit the site of each of the four bridges follow this link here. 

Three of the paintings are on loan courtesy of Sut and Margaret Marshall and one is on loan from Kennett High School. The Summer painting was presented to Kennett High School on July 25, 2015 from the Kennett High School Alumni Association, Class of 1965, as part of their 50th reunion.

The bridges were painted by Conway artist Ernest O. Brown in 1970-71 for the now closed White Mountain National Bank in North Conway. 

They were originally displayed on the walls of the branch bank in Conway and later at the main office in North Conway. After the bank changed owners the four paintings were lost until 2015 when Charles Kilgore of Nashua NH acquired the suite from a thrift store and contacted the artist, Ernest O. Brown, as to the provenance and possible restoration of the artworks. 

They were cleaned, restored and framed in February - March 2015 at "The Studio of Ernest O. Brown, LLC" in Conway in preparation for an open art show entitled "The Bridges of Conway" presented by the Mount Washington Art Association and displayed at the Conway Public Library April 1-30, 2015 as part of the 250th celebration of the Town of Conway. 

A covered bridge model on loan from the Conway Historical Society is displayed nearby for patrons and visitors to explore the traditional construction techniques used in building these bridges. 

For an online tour guide that you can use on your phone when you drive around to visit the covered bridges follow this link here: https://theclio.com/tour/2908. 

Let's look at each of these paintings in seasonal order as they are displayed on the wall from left to right. 

Spring - Swift River bridge 

You can click on the images to enlarge them. Note the touches of "spring green" in the foreground.  

The lower corners of the facade end in sharp downward points and the road to bridge as well as the stone abutment is curved. This can be seen if you visit the bridge today. 

This bridge is only a short distance from the library, has parking on both sides, and is closed to vehicular traffic making it an excellent place to study the details of bridge construction. 

It also has picnic benches to enjoy a meal or snack. 

Nearby there is a bronze plaque about the bridge and its restoration. 

Each of the paintings was signed, dated and labeled by Ernie on the back. 

Each also has a typed interpretive label adhered to the back as well.

Ernie signed and dated each of his paintings on the front with a distinctive logo. Here is his signature on the spring painting 

The State of NH maintains an interactive list and map of covered bridges which you can study here. 

According to the State of NH website: 

The Swift River bridge is #47

Year of Construction: 1870

Original Cost: $1,458.42
Maintained by: Town of Conway
Location: One-half mile north of N.H. Route 16 at offWest Side Road over the Swift River
World Guide #29-02-05#2
Bridge Style: Paddleford truss with arches, single-span
Structural Characteristics: The bridge is 129' long with a clear span of 110'6". It has an overall width of 21'0" with a roadway width of 17'2", and a minimum vertical clearance of 13'2". The structure is closed to vehicular traffic.

Historical Remarks: The first bridge on this site was built by John Douglas in 1850. It gave much needed access to the north using West Side Road and served local commerce well until the spring of 1869. At that time, heavy rains swelled the river and the raging waters lifted the bridge from its foundation, turned it around, and sent it rapidly downstream into the Saco River Bridge knocking it off its moorings. Both damaged structures broke up and came to rest two miles downstream. In a striking demonstration of Yankee thrift, much of the lumber salvaged from these two bridges was used in the building of the new Swift River Bridge constructed by Jacob Berry and his son Jacob Jr. The current bridge was bypassed when a new concrete and steel bridge was built nearby in 1974. The Swift River Bridge was renovated after an extensive fundraising campaign in 1991. Bobcat Welding of Albany made the repairs. The Swift River Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

If you look closely between the two trees at the left of the bridge you can see a farmer plowing with a pair oxen.

Summer - Saco River covered bridge

Note that the plants are now in the deep green of full summer. 

If you compare the painting with the photo you can see that the corners of the facade terminate in "flat" not sharply pointed ends and that the approach to the bridge is straight not curved.  

Again a nearby plaque provides historical information and acknowledgement for the bridge's reconstruction. 

According to the State of NH website:
Saco River bridge #48
Year of Construction: 1890
Original Cost: $4,392.63
Maintained by: New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Location: East Side Road in Conway Village. The bridge spans the Saco River
World Guide #29-02-03#3

Bridge Style: Paddleford truss with arches, two-span
Structural Characteristics: The bridge is 225' long ". It has an overall width of 30'4" with a roadway width of 18'3" and a minimum vertical clearance of 13'7". It is posted for six tons.

Historical Remarks: In 1850, Jacob Berry and Peter Paddleford built a covered bridge to replace a crudely framed log bridge that had collapsed at this site. The 1850 bridge stood until the Swift River bridge crashed into it in 1869. The Saco River covered bridge was rebuilt by Allen and Warren of Conway but it was destroyed again by a tannery fire in 1890. The current bridge was built by Charles Broughton and his son Frank. The Saco River Bridge was rehabilitated by the state in 1989 for $550,000.

Here is his signature on the summer painting 

To the left of the bridge you can see a farmer farmer bringing in a load of hay. Bridges had to be built to accommodate the weight and height of a wagon loaded with hay. 

Autumn Smith-Eastman covered bridge

For this painting the artist chose to depict a time in late autumn after the glorious fall leaves have fallen and the trees are bare. This was a busy time for the farm as the harvest was collected and some of it brought to market. At the other end of the bridge there is a farmer driving a wagon pulled by horses filled with firewood. 

The maple tree on the left of the bridge has only recently been cut.  

 

It was one of the largest trees in town. 

Note the straight, but inclined, approach to the bridge in the painting which still exists today as a remnant of the past. 

The bridge however is gone. 

It burned in July 1975. More information about this bridge can be found on this website that includes lost bridges here. 

The middle support pier for the bridge still stands. 

Just inside the bridge you can see broadsides posted on the wall. The bridges served as a community bulletin board. 

There is parking here for the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust's Pine Hill Community Forest trail system. For a map follow this link here. 

Here is his signature on the autumn painting 

The site for this bridge can be seen on c. 1765 lot map on display at the Conway Public Library. 

This detail show plans for a "Centre Square," or town green that would front the meeting house, and then the bridge. 

This portrait of Nathaniel Porter, Conway's first minister is on display at the library. He would have preached at the Meeting House. 

FMI see our previous blog here. 

Winter - Albany covered bridge 

Except for the tall evergreens all of the plants are covered with a "freshly fallen silent shroud of snow."

Here is a view of the bridge as it is today. 

Here is his signature on the winter painting 

The Albany bridge is NH State #49. 

Year of Construction: 1858

Original Cost: Unknown
Maintained by: Town of Albany
Location: Dugway Road, Albany. The bridge spans the Swift River
World Guide #29-02-06

Bridge Style: Paddleford truss with arches, single-span
Structural Characteristics: The bridge is 120' long with a clear span of 100'0". It has an overall width of 21'0" with a roadway width of 15'3", and a maximum vertical clearance of 11'0". It is posted for six tons.

Historical Remarks: The first bridge on this site was constructed in 1857 and destroyed by a windstorm in 1858. At that time, Amzi Russell and Leandre Morton entered into an agreement with the town to build a new bridge for $1,300 minus the amount previously paid for the original bridge. The bridge has wide shallow arches and sharply raked facades. The U.S. Forest Service replaced several wooden floor timbers with steel in 1989. The bridge was repaired by the state in 1995 for $66,406.57 and again in 2009. The Albany Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

While there is no farmer in the background of the painting farm families were still active during the winter processing the crops harvested in the fall and taking advantage of the snow to log and drag wood out of the woods. For a chart of farm work throughout the year see our blog here. 

Farmers also helped with "snowing the bridges." Snow was shoveled into a wagon or dump cart, put down onto covered bridges and then rolled smooth with a snow roller so the horse drawn sleighs would not damage the bridge floor. 

Sut Marshall with the snow roller he and his wife Margaret donated to the Remick Museum in October 2008. 

For an article on snow rollers follow this link here. 

The Albany bridge has interpretive signage on both sides of the bridge. 

The sign on the south side covers how roads and bridges and stagecoaches once connected a thriving community. The area is part of the White Mountain National Forest and gone are the stores, inns and taverns of the past. 

On the north side of the bridge there is an ADA accessible fishing spot...  

... and more interpretive signage. These signs cover details of the bridge such as why bridges were covered, why there were built "a load of hay wide, high and strong" and how the bridge was restored. 

You can continue on to the parking area for the Boulder Loop Trail.  

You can read about the Boulder Loop Trail and download an interpretive guide map here. 

The Conway Library has many books, maps and photos about covered bridges. Contact us for more details. 

We also have another Ernest Brown painting on display at the library. To learn about that follow this link here. 

FMI contact us at the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room. 

Happy Frankenstein Day!

National Frankenstein Day is a holiday celebrated annually on August 30, coinciding with the birthday of Mary Shelley, (born Aug 30, 1797), the author of the novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus published in 1818, and its significant influence on modern culture.

To check out the book and related works at the Conway Public Library follow this link here. 

However, this blog is actually about our Frankenstein in the White Mountains. The Conway Public Library's Henney History Room is involved in a project with the Jackson NH Historical Society to put on a display and series of public programs that will focus on Crawford Notch. 

We will kick off our first program entitled "From Terror to Tourism" on Thursday, September 25 at the White Mountain Museum and Gallery in North Conway (click on image to enlarge and download it).  

As part of this project we will look at Frankenstein cliff named for the painter Godfrey Frankenstein, by Dr. Samuel Bemis, a contemporary who owned land in the area and named the cliff after his friend, the artist. 

Described by J.W. Ocker as "a monster of a cliff" that soars 1,400 feet above sea level, this ledge is popular with climbers in all seasons. FMI follow this link. 

The Conway Public Library houses a number of letters between Bemis and Frankenstein. FMI see this link here. 

Ocker explains "He wasn’t always Godfrey Frankenstein. His name used to be Godfrey Tracht. His father changed the family name after immigrating to the States from Germany. That’s right. They doubled-down on the heritage when they got here, wanting a name that sounded even more German to remember the homeland every time someone addressed him. He chose Frankenstein because they lived near a castle by that name in Germany."

As Ken Zurski put it, "Godfrey Nicolas Frankenstein, despite the name, was no mad scientist. Quite the contrary, he was a painter. But like the fictional Dr. Victor Von Frankenstein, he also had a vision that consumed his thoughts, his passions, and his ambitions for nearly two decades of his professional life."

Some of that obsession can be seen in a portrait of him by his brother, also an artist. FMI follow this link here. 

The 500' long, 80' high Frankenstein train trestle adds to the eeriness of the area. 

There is a highway history marker near the Frankenstein Trestle. 

FMI follow this link here. 

This month we celebrated the 150th anniversary of building the railroad through Crawford Notch with costumed reenactors and a cannon firing. FMI see this link here. 

This is a well known lithograph of Mount Washington From Frankenstein, by the Gray Lithography Company after a painting by Harrison B. Brown (1831-1915), 1890. The view is looking north with Frankenstein Cliff on left and snow-capped Mount Washington in distance. 

A number of other white mountain artworks depict the railroad going through the notch. See this link here. 

History on the Move

Historic sketch of a building being moved. 

Note they used at least six yoke (pairs) of oxen. (click on images to enlarge them)

Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846). Le Havre (France), Muséum d’histoire naturelle.

Starting at 9 am on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 (weather permitting) you will be able to see a similar scene to that above when the Jackson Historical Society moves its museum building (the original Jackson Town Hall) about 150 feet to a new location, albeit with modern equipment instead of oxen. 

The building is all jacked up and ready to roll!

Be sure to put this on your calendar! 

Bring a lawn chair and watch the fun from a safe distance across the street

The Conway Public Library's Henney History Room Curator, Bob Cottrell, (and part-time curator at the Jackson Historical Society) will present the library's newest hands-on outreach program about "simple machines" to help explain and interpret the mechanics of the moving operation and to compare tools and techniques of the past and the present. 

This newest outreach program explores some of civilization's most ancient and enduring technologies. 

There are six "simple machines" that date back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. They are the lever, incline plane, screw, wedge, pulley, and wheel and axle. We will look at how these tools work and the mathematical principles involved in calculating the mechanical advantage they provide.

The Conway Public Library offers a number of free outreach programs on historical topics to local schools and community groups. 

In addition, stone mason Michael Callis, who has presented several programs at the Conway Public Library on the secret meaning of symbols used during the fight for American independence, will explain stone working tools and techniques used to split and shape the stone that served as the original building's foundation. Some of this stone will be incorporated into the building at its new location.

These interpretive stations are on a drop by basis, with no real start or finish to the interpretation. You can spend as little or as much time as you want. 

While it might seem astounding to us today, it was actually quite common in the past to move buildings.

It made a lot of sense back then and still does today. This adaptive reuse is part of the Yankee ethics of “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Our motto is "raise the building, don’t raze it." 

The Jackson Town House was built in  1879. When the town moved their offices to another building, it was adapted by the Jackson Historical for their museum. 

The move follows a successful fundraising campaign, however due to unforeseen additional costs, in large part to massive stones found under the building that were in the way, they need additional funds to complete the project. 

The building needed to be moved away from the erosion of the nearby river bank. For more info on other reasons to move the building and the fundraising campaign see the following links:  

JHS website here. 

NH Preservation Alliance "Seven to Save" list here and scroll down to the Jackson Town Hall. 

From there you can watch a great video or go directly to this link here. 

Many local town histories relate tales of moving buildings. In his book, “Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England,” 1984, Thomas C. Hubka provides an excellent historical and technical context to the practice of moving buildings in New England. 

According to Hubka, the tradition of moving buildings was “a particularly American, and specifically New England, building phenomenon."

In her 1832 book “Domestic Manners of the Americans,” Frances Trollope relates “One of the sights to stare at in America is that of houses moving from place to place. We were often amused by watching this exhibition of mechanical skill in the streets. They make no difficulty of moving dwellings from one part of the town to another. Those I saw travelling were all of them frame-houses, that is, built wholly of wood, except the chimneys; but it is said that brick buildings are sometimes treated in the same manner. The largest dwelling that I saw in motion was one containing two stories of four rooms each; forty oxen were yoked to it.”

New England farmers were well prepared for the task. They had experience logging and had perfected the art and mystery of moving logs on skids and wagons with the aid of oxen and horses. They could easily adapt their wood-hauling technology to the movement of buildings. They had the tools and they understood the math and physics of the six simple machines known by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Most buildings of the time were built with a structural system that allowed for the unusual stresses of being moved. There was no plumbing or electrical systems to work around. While they were transitioning to a more modern, lighter weight balloon framing system, at the end of the 19th century, they still maintained many elements of the earlier heavier timber framing tradition with its mortise and tenon joints, heavy sills, posts, rafters and purlins that could stand up to being moved.

Here are the six simple machines

Thanks to our friends at the Freedom Historical Society (FHS) we will have historical examples of tools using these simple machines. Borrowing items from the FHS is part of long-term, ongoing partnership between the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room and the FHS (where Bob serves as a consulting curator),  for outreach including regular sessions at the Conway Adult Day Center and local schools and community groups. 

For more information on the FHS follow this link here. 

Let's start with the screw. 

In the past screw jacks were used to lift the buildings vertically.  

Today the screw jack has been largely replaces by hydraulic jacks. 

I am indebted to Jackie Conners, JHS webmaster Extraordinaire, for many of these photos.

For more information on Gary Sylvester's company follow this link here. To look at the progress done with the building to date follow this link here. 

While the principles involved in hydraulic jacks also date to ancient times, and the portable hydraulic jack was first patented in 1851, Sylvester's moving company still employs the screw in a number of different applications. 

Screw and lever combination used too secure building elements together

Bolt screw with large nut, and C clamp

A screw can be seen in the anchor shackles at the front of the wheel and axle sets above. Below is a detail of that image. 

The screw principle can be seen in the large turnbuckles used in the past to reinforce the walls from splaying. 

 

The wooden framing was added by Gary Sylvester to stabilize the building during the move. 

 

Pulley

Now to the pulley. 

In the past, pulleys were used to pull the buildings horizontally.  

Our interpretive station will provide an opportunity to study an historic pulley system up close and examine its working parts. 

Today mechanical winches have largely replaced pulleys, 

The whole building will be rolled to its new location using the wheel and axle. 

Wheel and axle

Inclined Plane

Then the building will be rolled down an inclined plane to its new location... 

... where a new concrete foundation has been poured

Thanks to our friends at the Cathedral Ledge Distillery, we will have a barrel for folks to experiment with to help understand the mechanical advantage provided by the inclined plane. 

This is actually a combination of two simple machines in operation as the barrel itself functions as a wheel and axle. 

For more info on the Cathedral Ledge Distillery follow this link here. 

Lever 

The lever plays a key role in working with stone. Michael Callis will explain the lever and other stone working tools used to split and shape stone like that which served as the original building foundation and will be incorporated into the building at its new location.

These stones were removed from the old foundation have been numbered so they can be placed back in the order they were in the original foundation. 

Michael will also explain those mysterious tool marks seen on many of the stones. 

Hint: They were made with a wedge. 

Michael will also explain how stones are arranged like a puzzle to create a stone wall for the foundation. 

In this photo you can see the foundation wall of rough stone and the finished cap stones. 

Here is a useful guide to the fascinating way the stones are seen and named by the stone mason. 

We will also look at the mathematics behind the mechanical advantage that the simple machines provide. You can actually math out the physics with these formulas to calculate the effort and force involved. 

As we got into the project, we discovered significant problems with a rotting wooden sill. 

You can see from the picture above the large dimensions of the original posts and beams. 

A modern 2x4' board was not going to fix this. 

Here is the replacement sill

There is an interesting story behind this sill beam. That is not something that you can easily pick up at Home Depot. 

So with the approval of our friends at the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (USVLT) our intrepid "hamsters" went into the Dundee Forest and cut down an appropriate tree. 

"Hamsters" is an affectionate term we use for the folks involved in another Jackson HS related project, the Ham House in the Dundee Forest (left to right: David Shed, Anne Pillion and Stephen Weeder). 

The Ham House is also on the NH Preservation Alliance "Seven to Save" list. FMI on the NH Preservation Alliance "Seven to Save" list follow this link here and scroll down to the Ham House, Jackson. 

From here you can watch a great video or go directly to this link here. 

In these pictures and videos, Stephen Weeder and David Shed, with the green light from USVLT, take on the Dundee Community Forest, wielding an antique hand ax and saw to expertly fell a tree! The two trees were carefully selected, away from sensitive areas. 

This was not a commercial harvest but a collaboration between JHS and USVLT. The timber, now masterfully sawed, has been installed on the Town Hall, marking a historic moment in the making, and a great example of historical continuity in the building trades. 

The felled tree was sawn into a beam. 

For more information on the Dundee forest follow this link here.  

For more information on the USVLT forest follow this link here.  

A good place to study timber framing is at the Cathedral Ledge Distillery check out their building at this link here.

Now to the interior finish work. The original windows are being removed to be restored with historically accurate techniques by Jason Earle of Effingham's Rooster Productions. Jason has worked on numerous restoration projects with the NH Preservation Alliance. 

While the moving operation has been carried out by Gary Sylvester's company, it has in fact, been carefully supervised by the students at the Jackson Grammar School, located across the street from the building. 

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, its off to work we go

So don your hard hat, and be part of the fun. We hope to see you at the event. It promises to be a very moving experience!