Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge was modestly damaged by a hurricane in what year?
Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge The Arthur A. Smith Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Colrain, Massachusetts. It is the only Burr truss bridge in the state, and is one of a few 19th century covered bridges in the state. The bridge was built in 1869 in the Shattuckville section of Colrain, and was severely damaged during a flood in 1878. It then sat abandoned until 1896, when the town voted to rehabilitate it and moved it to its present location, spanning the North River on Lyonsville Road. The area was then known as the "Arthur A. Smith Flats", after a prominent local resident who lived in the area. The bridge was strengthened in 1920 with the addition of laminated beam arches. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 1991 it was taken out of service and moved to adjacent land. Following restoration work in 2005–07 it was placed back in service, and was only modestly damaged by Hurricane Irene.
Hurricane Belle Hurricane Belle was a strong tropical cyclone that caused moderate damage across the East Coast of the United States in August 1976. In late July, a tropical wave emerged off the west coast of Africa. Traversing the Atlantic Ocean for more than a week, the system eventually consolidated into a tropical depression near the Bahamas on August 6. Remaining nearly stationary for a day, the depression strengthened into a tropical storm on August 7 and a hurricane later that day as it acquired a northwest motion. Formation of an eye accompanied quick intensification and Belle reached its peak the following day with winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). The hurricane subsequently turned north and accelerated, skirting the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Early on August 10, Belle made landfall on Long Island, New York, as a minimal hurricane crossing Long Island Sound and hitting the central coast of Connecticut as strong tropical storm. Thereafter, Belle transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over New England before moving over Atlantic Canada. The system turned east while over the north Atlantic and ultimately dissipated on August 15 to the south of Iceland.