| Name | Railroad Covered Bridge |
| Type | Attraction |
| Category | Merrimack-Valley New Hampshire Scenic |
| Description | The structure was originally built when the Concord and Claremont Railroad laid its first 33 miles of track from Concord to Bradford, N.H. In the fall of 1850 when trains began to run regularly between Concord and Contoocook, a day of great festivity was held. Speeches were made, the band played, and the cannon thundered. A thousand people sat down to eat at a public dinner that cost $200 to put on. The bridge washed off its abutments in 1936 when the Contoocook River flooded and again in 1938 from a hurricane. The bridge was kept from washing downstream because the rails were bolted together at each joint. After the flood water receded, the bridge was drawn back to its location and restored. From 1962 until 1990 a Contoocook merchant owned and used it as a warehouse. In 1990 the bridge was given to the New Hampshire Division of Historic Resources under RSA 234:31. In the National Register of Historic Places Inventory (nomination form) it was stated that this bridge is the oldest covered railroad bridge still standing in the United States. The Railroad Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| Address | Concord and Claremont Railroad line |
| | over the Contoocook River |
| CSZ | Hopkinton, NH 03229 |
| Phone 1 | (603) 271-3483 |
| Handicapped Accessible | No |
| Website | www.nh.gov/nhdhr/bridges/p21.html |
| Last Updated | 12/3/2013 |
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