Ledyard Bridge To Go

Historic old Ledyard Bridge, over which Dartmouth men have passed for nearly a century, received its death warrant on December 4 when residents of Hanover voted to replace the picturesque structure with a modern steel deck span. Built in 1859, the covered bridge which links Hanover and Norwich on opposite sides of the Connecticut has survived most of its contemporaries and now stands as one of the few remaining examples, and one of the longest, of the roofed bridges which dotted New England years ago.

Present plans, which have been endorsed by the voters of both Hanover and Norwich and by state officials of New Hampshire and Vermont, call for a modern steel structure costing about §124,000. Of this sum Hanover will probably raise §65,000, the remainder being contributed by the town of Norwich and the states of New Hampshire and Vermont augmented by a federal loan of $25,000, provided the proj- ect meets with the approval of federal authorities. Hanover will raise its share by a bond issue to be retired over a period of 20 years.

The old covered bridge, so well known to Dartmouth men, has undergone a great strain of vehicular traffic in recent years and has weakened perceptibly. Repairs necessary to save it would cost about §40, 000, it has been estimated by inspectors.

The Ledyard Bridge is the fourth to cross the Connecticut at that point. It was known as the Ledyard Free Bridge when built in 1859, since there was no toll charge to cross it, and was erected near the site where John Ledyard, famous pupil of Eleazar Wheelock, built the canoe which he used in his travels. The first bridge on the site was erected in 1796. The old bridge has withstood the floods of many years, notably that of 1927 when hundreds of students gathered on the river banks to watch it give way, but it has finally become the victim of modern travel.

Old Ledyard Bridge is doomed by vote of Hanover citizens favoring new structure across the Connecticut