Product Overview
Bennington County has five covered bridges - three in Bennington and two in Arlington. They are all unique with special stories.
Chiselville Bridge is located on East Arlington Road. It is named for a former chisel factory nearby and spans the Roaring Branch Brook. it was built in 1870 and survived the flood of 1927.
Available in our special blend of 32% milk or 52% dark chocolate.
Bar Weight: 2.5 ounces.
Vermont’s covered bridges are landmark pieces of rural New England. A covered bridge is a timber structure supporting a deck surface over a river or stream. The primary purpose of the roof is to protect the structural timbers from the weather. The roof preserves the supporting trusses, which without the covering would fail in a few years because of rot and deterioration.
There were several other reasons for covering the bridge structure: 1. the added support of side-supporting trusses, walls,
and roof provided internal bracing that tolerated lateral loads from wind; 2. the walls and roof provided the necessary security to calm animals crossing rushing waters, which scared livestock and caused stampeding.
During the 19th century the number of covered bridges in Vermont reached over 700. The horrendous flooding of 1927 destroyed approximately 100 covered bridges. By 1996, only 106 covered bridges remained in Vermont.
The Federal Highway Administration completed a study identifying 880 covered bridges dating from the 1820s to 1987 in thirty states. The survey recorded that Vermont was ranked third nationally with 100, dating from 1820 to 1982. Vermont
has the most covered bridges per square mile than any other state.