Constructed in 1829 by the towns of Bath and Haverhill at a cost of about $2,400, the Haverhill-Bath Bridge is one of the oldest covered bridges in the United States. Built with 3-by-10-inch planks that were probably sawn at an adjacent mill, the span is the earliest surviving example of the lattice bridge truss patented in 1820 by Connecticut architect Ithiel Town (1784-1844). It was strengthened with laminated wooden arches in 1921-22, and the upstream sidewalk was added at about the same time. The 256-foot-long bridge carried traffic for 170 years before being bypassed in 1999.