New England is known for its handsome wooden covered bridges, but did you know we also have some remaining stone bridges?
Back in the first half of the 19th century, stone bridges were built by talented Scottish stone masons using native granite. They were constructed without mortar and were held up by the shaping of the stones. I don’t know about you, but I find that pretty amazing.
Last week, we went to check out the Double Arch Stone Bridge* that crosses the Contoocook River off Route 9 between Hillsborough and Keene, NH. It does not allow car traffic anymore, but it is still a picturesque historic site to walk across and take in from either side.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen beautiful red Cardinal flowers growing in water.
How was the weather for traveling? Hot and humid like it has been here for several weeks.
So, when it’s hot, one needs a cold one, right? Good thing we knew right where we could find some great craft beer in Keene – Elm City Brewery. My husband liked their Dunkelweizen the best, and I was torn between the Peachy Keene and the Raspberry Wheat which were both great.
We may need a cold one tonight because we’re suppose to hit 94°F with 47% humidity resulting in a ‘feels like‘ of 101°. Does that sound a little too warm for New Hampshire?
Texas, Florida and Nevada are coming in around the same number. I don’t know, but I’m thinking New Hampshire is not supposed to be registering the same temperature as these southern areas.
Then add in the every other day heavy rain and tornado warnings, and I think it’s pretty safe to say we have some major climate change going on. I may need two cold ones. 🍻
Beautiful! Looks like a grand adventure. 🙂
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New Hampshire isn’t supposed to feel like Texas! I’m sorry about your weather, although ours is about the same here. I’d like the Peachy Keene on principle, such a cute name.
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I know – we’re suppose to not be near as humid and cool down at night. Not so much anymore. That Peachy Keene was delicious from the minute I brought the glass up I could smell the aroma of peaches, and it was very smooth. I’d definitely get that again, but in a big glass next time. 🙂
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I love the photo of that bridge, Judy. It sounds so simple, until you stop and think about “made from granite” – “shaping the stones” and then realize that all of that was being done by hand. Those guys were true masters
Good that you knew where to hydrate and cool off on the ride home.
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I knew you’d appreciate the fact that a craftsman could shape stones to allow vehicles to travel over it. The mere thought makes my head want to explode. Applause to our ancestors. And, yes, one always needs to know where to stop to hydrate. 🙂
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I watched some of the stone masons at work, when they rebuilt the banks of the industrial canal in Lowell, MA. They had to bring retired masons back to tell the younger workers how to do it.
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Beautiful bridge. Sometimes I find cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) along the river in the lowest part of the wild garden, but it never seems to be in the same place twice!
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Hope life is going well for you this summer. I can only imagine you are very busy. 🙂
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Love that stone bridge! Add Georgia to that list of hot and humid days with plenty of thunderstorms. It’s normal weather for us this time of year but I never thought of New Hampshire of having the same weather as us. A drive and a brewery sound like a great way to cool off.
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This change is weather is really dramatic this year, and I’m guessing there won’t be any going back to what we considered ‘normal,’ and I can’t imagine what it means for all of us as we move forward.
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Oh, Maine is in the same humid boat as New Hampshire. Terrible! And, yes, Climate change is here. Now, lets hope the world has the grit and political courage to stop it from getting worse. On a happier note…What a fabulous bridge! My Scottish blogging buddy Tootlepedal is always featuring the most beautiful stone bridges on his blog. No surprise that the men who built that bridge were Scottish.
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I went and checked out his blog – beautiful flowers and butterflies. 🙂
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And the occasional stone bridge. As far as I can tell, they are common in his part of Scotland.
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These bridges are just another thing to add to the list of amazements constructed in earlier days without benefit of modern tools. – those majestic stone Middle Ages European cathedrals too – everything a labor love!
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labor OF love, I meant! – and so glad someone smart is thinking of preservation and not bending to the folks who NEED to keep driving across this thing to get to where they gotta go – and in a HURRY!
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I walked across the top and just mentally marveled that without today’s power tools, they put those stones together and a century later they are still standing strong. 🙂
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Your pictures are stunning! ❤ ❤ ❤
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What a beautiful bridge. Amazing craftsmanship. So glad it’s being preserved. And don’t those Cardinal flowers look pretty!!
So glad you and Dennis were able to keep yourselves from getting dehydrated!! Nice place to revisit.
🔹 Ginger 🔹
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That’s right. In this heat, one must always be prepared for hydration. 🙂
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It is amazing how those bridges are held in place by gravity alone.
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Such skill that we no longer see in stonemasonry, but at least craft brewing is on the rise! 🙂
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As always, I have a great time in the comments. It’s so good to know that there are others who marvel at such skill as built this beautiful bridge. The cardinal flowers are a lovely bonus to the setting. And the hydration, of course, medically necessary. One cannot be too careful in this heat.
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I’ve got to keep that in mind – ‘medically necessary.’ 🙂
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Gosh, didn’t know about the stone bridges. They’re amazing. What a beautiful setting. We pretty much find 47% humidity a relief here, but you’re right. You wouldn’t expect NH to be having this type of weather. Have a cool one for me!
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Oh my gosh, that bridge is gorgeous! Great shot! Thanks for sharing that. 101 is too hot for me, I don’t care where! Phew!
I think it’s a wine night over here. Like, take the wine to bed with the book 😉
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That is lovely. We have a few like that but they are quite small and are for foot traffic only. They are on really tiny roads, so I think they were never meant for anything weightier.
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I think those old stone bridges are amazing and a tribute to fine workmanship.
I’m not quite ready to complain about this summer’s heat and humidity yet. After the winter we just had, I thought there was a distinct possibility we would never be warm again. Sooner or later though, this heat is going to get to me. I’m sure if I didn’t have AC I’d feel completely different about it.
Climate change is real and scary 😳
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Oh, delightfully yummy all around, Judy. The bridges are gorgeous as well as amazing in their construction. Bridges to me are like airplanes in that, although my mind knows (more or less) why they work, it still seems impossible! I’m very thankful for AC, which my poor s-i-l and b-i-l, sweltering in France, don’t have as do very few people or places in Europe. Electricity is so expensive that it’s probably for the best financially, but not much fun!!
janet
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I love old bridges! And I think you should always have a cold one in reserve for just such emergencies.
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Beautiful pictures and scary weather. It’s hot here too but not quite as hot as New Hampshire (which is crazy), and we don’t have the humidity. We’ve never had to have AC before but now we are seriously considering putting it in. Maybe I’ll just spend the money instead on cases of Peachy Keene.
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Many folks who have lived here all their lives and never used any type of air conditioning have installed window units in order to remove the humidity. It’s like living in a swamp. 🙂 That Peasy Keene would definitely help you forget the heat. 🙂
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I agree with you about the stone bridge, amazing craftsmanship to be able to balance rocks to build a bridge strong enough to last a century! When we visited my father’s ancestral home in Ireland we went over a small stone bridge to get to the farm… oh the stories it could tell!
Enjoy those craft beers, they look very inviting, and those temperatures are way too hot for comfort.
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Bridges are so picturesque. We saw a gorgeous covered bridge in Ontario and were smitten. As for the heat and humidity, it was the same when we were there and everywhere on the eastern side of the continent.The heat we are used to but the humidity is something else! I’d say you earned every drop of your refreshments, Judy!
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Stone bridges always appear to carry a lot of history with them. The beer looks good! One way the country has changed for the better – there is a lot more tasty beer.
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Yes, craft beer has really made it a real adventure to try different types fresh from a tap instead of a can or a bottle. 🙂
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Stay cool.
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97 percent humidity over the last few days here in Southwestern PA 🙂 This would be ( If you remember some old texts between a few of us ) at least a two-bra day lol
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That is exactly right, and I’ve been doing the extra wash required for those two-bra days for several weeks now. 🙂
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I did *not* know you had stone bridges–how very wonderful! We’ll be passing by Keene next month–maybe we’ll stop and see the bridge. Or the beer . . . 😉
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Have safe travels. The stone bridge is handsome. If you like covered bridges, there are also four within about a 12 mile stretch fairy near the stone bridge. And, the peach and raspberry beer were great. 🙂 And, if you get near Walpole, be sure to check out Burdicks. 🙂
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Those Scots learned to build from the Romans. Fierce invaders, but accomplished road engineers too. Look up the book “The Wall” by Alister Moffat. It is a wonderful exploration of Hadrian’s Wall and all the logistic of stone building. Fascinating. Surely a good read with a good craft brew in hand.
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With our son living in Keene, we’ve stopped at that awesome bridge a few times and marveled at it. But, darn, we never stopped at Elm City Brewery. 😏
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Keene is a lovely town. So glad I could give you an opportunity for your next visit. 🙂
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The bridge is gorgeous! Those masons sure knew how to build em to last back in the day didn’t they!
I like beer best of all on a really hot day, and the beer is icy cold in a frosted mug, or beer glass best.
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Can’t believe how hot it has been this year up north. I remember when we first moved from Florida up to New Hampshire and the weatherman talked about a day being hot, hazy and humid day. My husband and I laughed and said he didn’t really know what humidity really was unless he had lived in Texas or Florida. 🙂 I can also remember summers in New Hampshire when there was not one single heatwave with three consecutive days of 90 degrees or above. September is just around the corner and you should start having delightful weather.
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You missed one heck of a wicked winter that went right into a wicked summer. The effect this heat, humidity, and daily rain has had on the gardens is unbelievable. The perennials, shrubs and trees mostly take it in stride. But, the veggie gardening is bad. I’ve been pulling diseased plants out each week. I’m down to two tomato plants, and they will probably go today or tomorrow. And, every long term resident who has lived here without A/C has at least gone to one or more window units this year. Week after week of oppressive weather with 80-100% humidity is just too much. Who knew I’d be telling you to enjoy your FL August weather. 🙂
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I would never have thought that either, Judy. I often wonder about our apple orchard and my picket fenced garden with climbing roses all around it. I have no ideal if the new owners have kept it up…weather can be a real challenge.
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Greetings from Franklin, NH! I’m so happy I discovered your wonderful blog Judy! I love everything I’ve seen so far. I MUST visit the Double Arch Stone Bridge! How lovely!!
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Hello from Strafford County to you in Merrimack County. 🙂 The bridge is a lovely part of our NH history.
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The cardinal flowers are lovely! Were they growing near the bridge?
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There is a small parking area. Once you park, you can walk onto the top of the bridge. So, when you get up there, look to the left and hopefully they will still be blooming because the larger clump was right in the middle and a smaller clump was off to the left.
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