Newfield Covered Bridge

This is the only remaining covered bridge in Tompkins County, one of approximately 25 in the state of New York, and the oldest covered bridge still open daily for vehicles. It was built by Samuel Hamm & Sons, David Dassance, and Patchen Parsons in 1853 on the site of a log bridge that may have been built as early as 1812. This bridge was built over the West Branch of the Cayuga Inlet entirely by hand, including hand-turned wooden pins called trunnels (tree nails), in a style known as Town Lattice Truss.
Covered bridges were common in the time of wooden bridges. It was more cost efficient to replace a roof than to rebuild an entire bridge. It has been reconstructed twice, once in 1972 by Milton Graton and again in 1998. One of the 1972 updates included notching the entrance to allow for taller vehicles to enter the bridge. Other improvements included updated landscaping and cutting the diamond-shaped windows to allow more light to enter.