June 1990

Site of the Covered Bridge at Hampton

This is where the ET&WNC wooden covered bridge stood. It's east of Hampton close to where the Ritter Mill was located. That's the western abutment there at the end of the raised right-of-way. The bridge crossed the Little Doe River here where it merged with the Doe River. The Little Doe flows right behind that first line of trees. The river is only about 15 feet wide, but the bridge was 110 feet long. Crossing this open field allowed the two rivers to flood without affecting the bridge or right-of-way. This bridge was never lost to any fires or floods and was still standing in 1955, several years after the railroad was taken up. The opposite abutment was in those trees, but was taken apart and hauled away over the years by folks needing the cut stone for their projects. There are close-up shots of the remaining abutment in some of my later years photos.