Sentinel Pine Bridge

Location:

East of U.S. Route 3 over the Flume Gorge at the pool in Lincoln.

Style of Bridge:

Stringer

Year of Construction:

1939

Original Cost:

Unknown

Structural Characteristics:

The bridge is 60'5" long with a clear span of 50'0". it has an overall width of 8'2" with a roadway walking path width of 5'5" and a maximum vertical clearance of 6'2". The bridge is restricted to pedestrian traffic only.

Maintained By:

New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development

World Guide Number:

29-05-01

New Hampshire Number:

38

Historical Remarks:

The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests built this bridge in 1939 and maintained it until it was transferred to the state in 1948. The tall pine that gave the bridge its name once stood near the rear of the pool as if it were a sentry on guard. The great tree was over ninety feet tall, five feet in diameter, and estimated to be 100 years old when it was blown over in the 1938 hurricane. Workmen took a sixty foot piece of the tree and placed it over the river forty feet above the water just north of the pool. Taking other trees that were blown down,they made the footbridge over the pine to protect and preserve it. The bridge is put together with wooden pegs. The shingles were handmade by John G. Welch and Old Joe Poloquin, who was also known as Indian Joe. The Sentinel Pine Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.