Floating above the still waters of Sunset Lake lies an enchanted bridge that has charmed all who have laid eyes upon its mystical wooden planks. Born from the trees of Brookfield in 1820, this living passageway of lumber was the first of its kind—a floating conveyance made of logs bound together on a journey to connect two worlds divided by the narrow lake's deep waters. The bridge is located about 10 miles away from Williamstown, Vermont
It is the site of the famous Floating Bridge, buoyed by 380 barrels – the only floating bridge in Vermont
But the bridge had a secret—every year when warm months faded into winter frost, its tired logs withered and had to be replaced to prevent the enchanted walkway from vanishing into memory. So its devoted caretakers imbued it with new life as the eras passed onward, giving flotation to its form by filling barrels made of tin, then wood and finally foamy plastic with air so that it may never fade.
A bridge made of floating logs?
The 300-foot bridge spans Sunset Lake, which is too deep to support a pillared structure. In 1820, the bridge was made up of floating logs but the logs had to be replaced each year. Tarred barrels then became the solution for a number of years until modern times when they were replaced by plastic barrels filled with Styrofoam.
Nearly alone in its kind amongst paths and byways that crisscross the lands and lakes of the entire Northeast, the Sunset Bridge also floats as a proud bastion of Vermont's heritage, cheering sightseers with views overlooking the wooded hills that embrace the still lakewaters where it makes its home.
Though calamity has broken boards and railed frames in ages since, the people of Brookfield have never for long let their living floating treasure fade—faithfully mending railing and plank over almost two centuries, so that all may come to know a walk in the clouds just long enough to make a dream come true.
The Brookfield Floating Bridge of Williamstown, VT. Brookfield is located just south of Williamstown, in Orange County, VT. (Top photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
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