Potton Heritage Association



The Covered Bridges of the Eastern Townships

This photo of the Comstock Bridge over the Massawippi River in the vicinity of Lennoxville (Sherbrooke County) was taken in 1914. The bridge was replaced by an open bridge of concrete and steel in 1937.

During the heyday of covered-bridge building in Canada, close to 1,000 covered bridges were built in Quebec. Today fewer than 85 remain.

Evidence suggests that the first covered bridge in Quebec was constructed around 1800 in the vicinity of Montreal. But the heartland of this kind of bridge building in the province lay farther south in the Eastern Townships. Dozens of covered bridges were erected in this region; 18 survive.

Most of them are tucked away on country roads, surrounded by fields or forests. Some remain in service; others have been closed to traffic for years. A few have been carefully taken apart and then reassembled in a new location for tourists to admire.

To find out more, revisit this exhibition in virtual mode

Digital Library


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