The 125th anniversary of the world’s longest covered bridge is being celebrated throughout the New Brunswick Day long weekend. Big Bridge Fest includes events on and around the Hartland Covered Bridge, spanning 391 metres (1,282 feet) across the Saint John River. This year’s festival includes the introduction of a decorative archway at the front of the bridge, accompanying a steel protective beam installed earlier this year. “When the department of transportation put the beams up it kind of took away from the beautiful pictures people could take,” says Doris Kennedy, a member of the festival’s organizing committee. “So, we thought about what we could do to benefit the beams being there.” Kennedy said Hartland-based Craig Manufacturing approached the festival’s committee about making decorative archways for each side of the bridge. The first archway on the Hartland side of the bridge went up last week. “It shows two communities coming together to build a bridge in 1901, and that’s exactly what happened” says Kennedy. “Before that, people in the community were using ferries and ice bridges.” The bridge was built by the community-formed Hartland Bridge Company, using cedar, spruce and hard pine. It was later bought by the provincial government in 1906. An ice jam caused significant damage to the bridge in April 1920. “It took out the western spans and one pier,” says Kennedy. “And remember it was all made of wood, the piers included. That’s when (the province) decided to cover the bridge and make new concrete piers.” A pedestrian walkway was added to the bridge in 1945. It was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980 and a provincial historic site in 1999. For the festival, vehicle traffic on the bridge has been blocked throughout the long weekend with dinners and services scheduled along the span. On Monday, the Hartland Covered Bridge Market will feature local artisans, food vendors, fresh produce, craft-makers, music, dancers and historical displays. More to come... For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
