Hartland Covered BridgeHartland's 1282-foot long covered bridge is the Longest Covered Bridge in the World.  It was constructed by the Hartland Bridge Company, which was formed by citizens on both sides of the Saint John River, and officially opened July 4, 1901.

In 1898, H.R. Emmerson told the Board of Trade Delegation that a permanent bridge with eight steel spans would cost between $70,000 and $80,000.  

A competing bid of $27,945 from Albert Brewer of Woodstock was unanimously accepted by the Board of Directors and the bridge was built out of cedar, spruce and hard pine  using local businessmen and trades.

The original completion date was to be May 14, 1901, but as the day approached, an emergency forced the first person to cross the bridge twelve hours early.  

At about 9:00 pm on Monday, May 13th, Dr. Estey responded to an urgent call to attend to a patient on the west side of the river. Dr. Estey approached the bridge workers; they placed planks so he could drive his buggy across the bridge.

Hartland Covered Bridge (Arial View)

In 1906, the New Brunswick government purchased the bridge.  

On April 6, 1920, river ice took out two spans of the bridge. Two years later, in 1922, the government made major repairs and then covered the structure.

In 1945, the side walkway was added. 

On June 23, 1980, the bridge was declared a National Historic Site and less than a decade later, on September 15, 1999, the bridge was declared a Provincial Historic Site.