Sheffield's covered bridge, called the oldest covered bridge in Massachusetts, was ordered built in 1854 after a late 1853 meeting directed the selectmen to seek proposals and make contracts following a lawsuit against the town for damage to cattle passing over the earlier Hubbard Bridge, a long structure built by the first settlers and used by farmers, animals, and post riders carrying mail over the Hartford trail to Boardman Street and across the log span into the Village. Built on the west bank of the Housatonic and rolled into place on its abutments, the covered bridge followed the Towne Bridge style patented in 1820, using a lattice truss of crossed members pinned with wooden pegs or trunnels, a practical form adapted from barn construction. Its side walls and roof protected travelers and animals from weather while also strengthening the bridge and preserving its materials. A century after its construction, some timbers and framework were replaced and new siding was added on the north side; in 1967 its capacity was reduced to three tons, and in 1974 it was closed to all vehicular traffic. The bridge's east abutment used Sheffield marble, the same stone used in one section of the Washington Monument. In 1981, Milton Graton of Ashland, N. H., assisted by his son Arnold, grandson Arnold, Jr., and Sheffield residents, carried out an extensive authentic restoration engineered by David Fischetti. For 140 years the bridge drew visitors, photographers, and artists, and in the early morning of August 13, 1994, it burned to the ground. Some salvaged materials from the earlier structures were to be used to provide continuity in its reconstruction.