The Kings County Tourism Association is still short about $70,000 in its goal to raise $150,000 to build a covered bridge tourism centre at Coles Island. A meeting will be held on October 28th at the Quality Inn in Sussex at 7pm to try and raise the necessary funds so that construction can start this fall before the snow starts. Up until Nov. 30th the Dept. of Transportation will allow access for the road to be built. after that date the tourism association will have to wait till next year. Right now its just a question of money. Robert Alston, president of the tourism association, hopes people will come out in force to help support this project.

The proposed Covered Bridge Information Centre planned for the Coles Island area is being built to help publisize and promote Covered Bridges in the Sussex area. Tourism has been way down in Sussex this year ever since the new highway between Fredericton and Moncton was opened in the fall of 2001. Covered Bridge Properties Inc. is selling shares in the project, they need to raise $150,000 in order to qualify for a $301,000 ACOA grant to build a Covered Bridge Tourism Centre in Coles Island. By September 12th they still needed to raise $75,000. Shares are being sold in the $5,000 range(voting shares) as well as for $250. Bob Alston is president of the Kings County Tourism Association(and owner of the Kissing Bridges Gift Shop in Newton), he and the association are spearheading the effort to bring tourists back to picturesque Sussex. They plan on developing a 60 acre parcel of land next to the exit at Longs Creek, the closest exit leading down to Sussex from the new highway, a 30 km or so detour. If you want to help and buy a share call Mr. Alston at 1-506-433-4813.

A New Brunswick man who attempted to burn down two covered bridges in 2001 was fined $256,000 by a judge back on July 3rd, 2002. Jerry Jacques Cote, 34, of Victoria County was also sentenced to five and a half years in jail for his arson and vandalism rampage on November 2nd and 3rd of 2001. He attempted to burn down bith the Hartland covered Bridge, the longest in the world, and the Stormdale bridge out back of Hartland. Luckily both fires were spotted in time and put out. He also burned a farm and various other buildings to the ground causing $250,000 damage during his arson rampage. Three cows were also burned alive during the incident.
What sparked this arson attack was that his wife was having an affair with the Woodstock Fire Chief. He wanted to do something and he choose to commit acts of arson as revenge.
During sentencing the Crown Prosecutor, Bill Eister, noted Cote wanted notoriety for the fires in addition to revenge.

The New Brunswick Covered Bridge Website is back up after almost a year hiatus. This was due mostly to too much work on other websites and projects that kept the webmaster way too busy to look after this one. But that has now changed. This site will be updated on a regular basis from now on.

The most current covered bridge news is that of the proposed Covered Bridge Information Centre planned for the Coles Island area to help publisize and promote Covered Bridges in the Sussex area. Tourism has been way down in Sussex this year ever since the new highway between Fredericton and Moncton was opened in the fall of 2001. Covered Bridge Properties Inc. is selling shares in the project, they need to raise $150,000 in order to qualify for a $301,000 ACOA grant to build a Covered Bridge Tourism Centre in Coles Island. By September 12th they still needed to raise $75,000. Shares are being sold in the $5,000 range(voting shares) as well as for $250. Bob Alston is president of the Kings County Tourism Association and he is spearheading the effort to bring tourists back to picturesque Sussex. They plan on developing 60 acres of land next to the exit at Longs Creek, the closest exit leading to Sussex from the new highway. If you want to help and buy a share call Mr. Alston at 506-433-4813.

The world famous Hartland Covered Bridge, the longest in the world, is in need of special protection says Hartland Mayor Bruce MacLeod. The bridge was nearly burned to the ground on November 3rd by an arsonist who was luckly apprehended before any serious damage could take place. The town council of Hartland wants the provincial government to do more to safeguard this provincial landmark. One suggestion of installing a sprinkler system is not practical because of the winter weather. Equippng the bridge with video camera's and heat sensing equipment is the best alternative which the town wants. Council wants money from the province to help finance these expenditures. The mayor will be meeting with NB Transportation Minister Percy Mockler soon to discuss this.

This has been a very bad year for covered bridges here in New Brunswick. So far we have lost two bridges, both to fire although arson is suspected in only one. And this fall we nearly lost 2 more to arson. Unfortunately our bridges have become targets of arsonists and there is little we can do to stop this except to be extra vigilent and watch for suspecious activity around our remaining bridges.

During the evening of November 3rd, Saturday night, someone tried to burn down the historic Hartland Covered Bridge! Fortunately it was seen and reported immediately to the fire and police departments. A member of DOT was watching the bridge so it was caught early, if not the whole bridge could have been lost according to a report from Chief Walton. The employee also managed to put the fire out with an extinguisher. Damage is said to be minor thankfully and is limited to the side walkway where the arsonists set thier fire. Very minor damage thankfully.
Earlier 3 men were spotted buying gas from a local gas station. It was deemed suspecious and someone called the police. Jacques Coutier, 33, of Victoria Corner has been charged in connection with this blaze. Several other men seen with him are under investigation. This was just one arson fire wave that hit Hartland last Saturday night, several barns and other structures burned to the ground, destroying one man's livelihood when he lost over $200,000 worth of property. The bridge just celebrated its 100th birthday this year.

Also the nearby Stormdale (Mangrum) Covered Bridge in Mainstream was targeted by the arsonists at around 7-7:22 pm Saturday night. They did manage to start a fire on the bridge but the fire dept. was able to put it out in time according to chief Walton. Mainstream is within sight of several nearby homes, a neighbor called the fire and police departments. Thankfully being so close to Halloween all covered bridges in Carleton County were being kept under a watchful eye.
Mainstream covered Bridge Photo

Earlier this year we lost 2 covered bridges in New Brunswick, the St. Nicholas River bridge near Rexton and the Keenan covered bridge near Johnville, located not too far away from Hartland. The Keenan bridge far is being treated as a suspected arson case, no one has been arrested yet for that fire.

A small replica covered bridge, located just outside Grand Falls at the Pres-du-Lac Campground, was burned to the ground sometime on Sunday, May 27th. The fire dept. received the call at 12:30 pm. No one was hurt in the blaze which completely destroyed the 36 year old structure built by the campground owners. For a time the nearby motel and some trees were threatened by the blaze but luckily it was put out in time. The cause is unknown at this time but arson is suspected. It was less than a month ago when the Keenan covered bridge, located just downriver on the Monquart River, was burned to the ground. The St. Andre Fire Department responded to the call and are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Just when you thought this couldn't happen twice in one year, according to a CBC news report the Keenan Covered Bridge crossing the Monquart River in Carleton County near Johnville, burned to the ground in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 3rd. According to Bath volunteer Fire Chief, Stephen Armour, the bridge was pretty well burned completely by the time they arrived on the scene at 7:15 am. The bridge was first discovered on fire when a local resident tried to use the bridge prior to alerting the fire department. Authorities were notified but it was it was too late, it was already gone. As the bridge is not is direct sight of any homes local residents did not notice the fire till it was too late to save it.

This was the second covered bridge lost in New Brunswick this year. The first one was the Mundleville bridge which was also destroyed by a fire probably as the result of sparking from power lines that were attatched to the bridge. The Keenan bridge was built in 1927 and was 89 feet in length. It was also reported to be a haunted covered bridge according to local residents. Back in 1890 a headless woman was found dead nearby. The head was not found until during the construction of the bridge in 1927, apon digging out the bridge abutments a skull became uncovered by the work crews. They assumed this was the head of that headless woman from so many years ago and placed in back in a hole in the ground and continued their work. It is after completion of the bridge when people first began noticing the bridge was "haunted." It is said a women dressed in black would often appear on carriages as they passed through the bridge in the olden days giving people quite a fright! No cause for the fire has yet been determined but arson is a real strong

Friday May 4th, 2001 Apon arrival of what once was the Keenan Covered Bridge a day after the fire you could see the destruction was total. It was quite hard to look at it thinking "who in their right mind would destroy a piece of our heritage like that?" There was nothing at all salvageable although the police likely removed some items earlier. DOT had already cleaned up the site some and placed barricades up. Even the nice little framed sign for the bridge was lost in the fire. Throughout history covered bridges have been the victim of vandals and arsonists over the years. But I cannot recall us losing two covered bridges to fire only a scant two months apart. Let's hope there is not a serial arsonist out there! Community groups really need to safeguard the more isolated bridges now or else face losing them to demented individuals.

possibility, as unlike the Mundleville bridge, the Keenan bridge had no power lines running through or next to it. Bridges so not spontaneously combust. There is no other source for ignition other than for arson really. Another potential problem now raised is that the burning of this bridge may give other arsonists an idea. Those responsible along with any other demented persons might now look apon our covered bridges as easy targets for their destructive acts. All communities with covered bridges will have to be even more vigilant from now on for at least the foreseeable future.

Local residents on the other side of the river in Killoween will now have to use a detour to get to Bath, Bristol and other river towns until the Dept. of Transportation decides what to do here. Most likely the bridge, if any, they will put in another ugly Bailey bridge like they have done in the past such as at Welsford when that bridge washed away in 1998. Farmers are also being impacted by the loss. Those with fields of the other side of the river will now have to take a 5-10 km detour to access their other fields on the other side. The RCMP are still investigating the cause of this fire but arson unfortunately will probably be deemed the cause.
There are now only 4 covered bridges left in Carleton County; Hartland, Adair, Ellis and Stormdale. One is on the border of Carleton and York Counties at Benton. Since 1975 we have lost 12 covered bridges in the province to a variety of causes; from fires to floods to wind to accidents to the Dept. of Transportation. Only one, the Point Wolfe Bridge, has ever been rebuilt.

• Photo Gallery: Keenan Bridge Remains [Posted 05.04.2001]
  
• CBC RealAudio News Story [Posted 05.07.2001]
  
• See the before photo
  
• Read the CBC Story on the lost Keenan Bridge [Posted 05.04.2001]

One of New Brunswick's historic Covered Bridges burned to the ground in the wee hours of Sunday, February 25th. The unfortunate bridge was the St. Nicholas or Mundleville bridge that used to span the St. Nicholas River. The 82 year old one lane bridge was built in 1919, 503 feet in length featuring 3 spans and was located about 8 kilometre's west of Rexton on route 510. Police are still trying to determine the cause of the fire which totally destroyed the fifth longest bridge in the world, the second longest in New Brunswick after Hartland. It had undergone some renovations only about three years ago on one side. Electrical cables were running under the bridge and in the rafters which provided lighting inside the structure. Its not known yet whether the fire was from arson or electrical although early indications are pointing to an electrical fire. It was neighbor Mary Ellen Murphy at 4:20 am who called 911 to report the fire sunday morning. The Rexton Fire Dept. respond as fast as they could but it was too late. There was little they could do as the fire was well under way before they even arrived on scene. The fire was reportedly first seen coming from the rafters. The where or why the fire started may never be known. No photos are known to exist of the fire (that I know of yet) but it may have looked something like this simulated fire photo (Created with a Photoshop action).

Even a day later the bridge was still smoking heavily. There was future plans to close this bridge down and build a new one next to it. The intent was to preserve it for the future, but it looks like this won't happen now. Kent MLA, Shawn Graham, was seen surveying the scene of the horrific fire the next day. He said it was a big loss for the community as the historic bridge was quite a draw for tourists visiting the area.The loss is certainly felt by all New Brunswickers who will surely miss this picturesque bridge.
The last covered bridge lost previous to this in New Brunswick was the Welsford bridge that was washed away in a spring freshet in March of 1998. An army bailey bridge now stands in its place. Its unknown at this time whether the province will rebuild this one but costs are expected to be in the $1.2 million dollar range. Re-building a covered bridge here could cost $ 2 million dollars according to the province.

• ATV/CBC news stills - Fire Photos [03/03/2001]
  
• All New St. Nicholas Fire Photos [03/03/2001]
  
• All New St. Nicholas Fire Photos [03/03/2001]
  
• Pic of bridge before fire, Another exterior shot , Interior shot.
  

There are plans in the works for a new authentic covered bridge to be built by the Fundy Trail (Parkway) Development Authority over the Big Salmon River in Saint John County. Construction in still at least 1-2 years away as Phase 2 of the Fundy Parkway project is only now underway. The Fundy Parkway is currently complete (Phase 1) from St. Martins to Big Salmon River. Phase 2 will run from the river over to Fundy Park and Sussex, taking a more inland route once it crosses over the river. The gov't is planning on having the covered bridge located on the river above the present day footbridge. At one time there was a covered bridge crossing over the Big Salmon River where the present day footbridge crosses over river near the Interpretive Centre. See the archives for photos.

The Walter Chestnut Library, located almost right next to the bridge in Hartland, will be featuring an exhibition honouring the bridge anniversary. The exhibition will be held in June and July. If you have something interesting to show contact the libaray asap.

Hartland Covered Bridge Event
By the Editor
[Posted 06.01.2001]

The May 13th re-enactment of the famous crossing by Dr. A. W. Estey 100 years ago by now Hartland Doctor Rudy Stocek went with a hitch. A large crowd was on hand to witness the historic event as Dr. Stocek and his sons crossed the bridge in a horsedrawn carriage. In 1901 it was Dr. Estey who crossed the bridge, before it was completed, because of a medical emergency on the other side of the river. Workmen at the time had to lay some temporary planks down so that he and his horse could cross the yet unfinished bridge.
The ceremony involved stopping at the entrance of the bridge so they could get permission from the Bridge Superintendent and Mayor Betty Craig to pass. After the event a concert was held inside the local United Baptist church. Steve Rideout was the featured musician.
The next event will be the 100th anniversary itself on July 4th.

In a Department of Transportation press release the Hartland Covered Bridge will have it's interior lighting upgraded in time for the 100th birthday celebrations on July 4th. Previously both the Mundleville and Hartland bridge were the only ones in the province to have interior lighting. With the destruction of the Mundleville bridge back in February that leaves now only the Hartland one with interior lighting. The reason for lights in this bridge and not the others is the distance required by motorists to travel through it making the light from the openings too dim for use. Hence the bridge is quite dark inside even on sunny days. Hartland is the best example of the gov'ts committment to protecting and preserving out heritage for future generations.

In a government press release Department of Transportation, Minister Margaret Anne Blaney, stated a replacement bridge will be built in the same location where the Keenan Covered Bridge burned a few weeks ago. Instead of the usual army issue bailey bridge, a 3 metre wide wood and steel structure will be constructed with a completion date somewhere around the end of June. Cost for the structure is said to be around $325,000. Sadly the historic covered bridge that burned to the ground earlier will not be rebuilt.

The RCMP are still investigating the fire that took out the Keenan Covered Bridge on May 3rd. Sgt. Mitch MacMillan of Woodstock is confident they will find the cause of the fire. If it was arson, finding the culprit could take a long time and prove to be quite elusive. In addition to the police the fire marshall's office is looking into the cause of this fire. No recommendations have been made by the Dept. of Transportation on whether the bridge will be replaced or not. For now local residents, primarly from the Killoween side, have to find alternate routes to town for work & shopping.
On the other side of the province the residents of the Mundleville area, located near Rexton, who lost their covered bridge a few months back are still waiting for their "temporary" one lane bridge to be put in place. DOT is citing problems with the support structure for the delay.

The Dept. of Transportation is just now completing work on a new cedar shingle roof along with some new inside boards for the Hoyt Station Covered Bridge in Sunbury County. This was a welcome sight to see on apon arrival although it was a little bizarre to see those 10 steel support beams sticking out both sides of the bridge. Now that the work is pretty much complete the steel beams will be removed likely sometime this week.
The Hoyt Covered Bridge is on the Hoyt Station road, just off route 101, built in 1936 and is 97.9 feet in length. Several years ago we almost lost this bridge to arson but luckily it was caught in time. Thankfully there are at least 6 homes that have a direct view of the bridge making it one of the better protected ones in the province.

• Wide Shot, steel support beams sticking out
• Inside shot of support beams
• Exterior Shot, lumber pile

On a recent survey of 11 covered bridges in Charlotte & Sunbury Counties it seems the graffiti situation is getting a lot worse than it has been in years past. Granted graffiti has been around ever since covered bridges were first built but lately on some bridges it seems almost every piece of blank space on the boards have been written apon with some sort of vulgar comment or statement. Pens seem to be the tool of choice followed by markers and then spray paint. One bridge in particular at Maxwell Crossing (Dennis Stream) is just plastered with offensive scribbling. Its very safe to say teenagers are the main offenders here but it wouldn't be fair to paint them all with the same brush. You have to take into account all these "writings" encompass 10 years or more worth of effort. Percentage wise that represents a small minority of kids doing this and one kid could have scribbled a whole lot of these "writings" by themselves.
The amount of graffiti does vary widely from bridge to bridge, for example the Patrick Owen bridge in Rusagonis has virtually none while others, such as at Mill Pond in Lepreau, is just covered with names and every offensive word you can imagine. This is surely something we don't want the tourists to see but there is little we really can do to prevent it. Covering it up with a coat of paint would only give them a fresh canvas to work on. The solution to this problem remains elusive for the time being. Perhaps the only real solution would be setting up remote camera's but again that could be quite costly to implement. A public education program in our elementary and middle schools on why our historic bridges are so important would be much more productive and cost efficient.

In an announcement made last year, the Department of Transportation promised to maintain and fix up our covered bridges for future generations. New decking, roofing and side boards would be done on bridges that need it. This shows a growing recognition by the Tory Government regarding our often ignored, and taken for granted, historic covered bridges. If you have been to a bridge lately you may have noticed new decking (ie. Adair Bridge, Becaguimec River) or new support beams (ie. Hartland Bridge) or even new side boards (ie. Rusagonis Bridge). This support by the Gov't for our bridges is really welcome news. Unfortunately there is little they can do to prevent arsonists from doing their dirty deeds such as what happened at the Keenan Bridge this week.

The community of Mundleville, located near Rexton in Kent County, will have a replacement bridge in place by May 18th the Department of Transportation reports. The original covered bridge was burned to the ground by an appearent electrical fire back in February (see above top news story). The cost of this replacement bridge is $200,000 and is considered a temporary structure by DOT. They plan on building a permanent new concrete bridge in the future. At present work crews are getting the planks and guardrail's in place.

The town of Sussex will soon be building a new tourism centre in the shape of a covered bridge. They will model the building after one of the nearby bridges in Kings County. It will be approx. 17-20 feet wide and 70 feet long. The "ends" will be closed in with glass but it will still resemble a covered bridge. Tourism literature and a gift shop will be located inside as well as a small display on the construction of these bridges and the tools used to construct these historic structures. Construction is slated to take place this summer.

The Hartland "Observer" newspaper is looking for covered bridge stories to publish in their weekly paper. Submissions will be accepted up until May 4th. I believe they are only looking for Hartland bridge stories at the moment. Their offices are located at 376 Main street or contact them via e-mail at: theobserver@nb.aibn.com.

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