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Cornwall, Connecticut: A Covered Bridge and Two Blast Furnaces

Cornwall, Connecticut

Pictures from Cornwall

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West Cornwall Covered Bridge West Cornwall village street Cathedral Pines Preserve

Cornwall was incorporated in May 1740 on the Housatonic River in Litchfield County and has remained one of Connecticut's smallest, most rural towns ever since. Iron became its defining 19th-century industry, supported by two blast furnaces and charcoal-making operations. The West Cornwall Covered Bridge, most likely built in 1864 of red spruce fastened with wooden treenails, still carries a single lane of traffic across the Housatonic and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; earlier crossings at the same spot, dating to 1762, were destroyed by ice and the Flood of 1837. The town's notable figures include Ethan Allen, raised here as a boy; General John Sedgwick; and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Van Doren. Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, the young Hawaiian whose story inspired Cornwall's Foreign Mission School (1817-1826), was buried in Cornwall Cemetery before his remains were returned to Hawaii in 1993.

  1. An 1864 lattice-truss bridge still open to a single lane of traffic.

  2. A local-history museum with a 2026 Revolutionary War exhibition.

  3. Ten miles of trails around 1,683-foot Mohawk Mountain.

  4. Connecticut's largest ski area, with night skiing and snowmaking.

  5. Riverside camping and catch-and-release fly fishing on the Housatonic.

  6. Daily-baked pastries and bread, breakfast and lunch.

  7. A 13-room family-owned country inn in Cornwall Bridge.

Iron, a bridge, and a Hawaiian connection

Cornwall's 19th-century economy ran on iron: two blast furnaces and the charcoal-making operations that fed them. The West Cornwall Covered Bridge — 172 feet long, 15 feet wide, its red-spruce timbers held together with wooden treenails — most likely dates to 1864 and still carries traffic on a single lane. Decades earlier, Cornwall's Foreign Mission School trained Indigenous and international students as missionaries from 1817 to 1826; its most famous student, the young Hawaiian Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, was originally buried in Cornwall Cemetery, and though his remains were returned to Hawaii in 1993, the town still marks and commemorates the connection.

Getting there

Cornwall is a drive-to destination in the Litchfield Hills: US Route 7 follows the Housatonic River through Cornwall Bridge and West Cornwall, CT Route 4 crosses the town past Mohawk State Forest, and CT Route 128 carries traffic over the covered bridge itself. There's no passenger rail in Cornwall; the nearest station is Metro-North's Harlem Line terminus at Wassaic, New York.

Mohawk Mountain and Cornwall Bridge

Mohawk State Forest surrounds 1,683-foot Mohawk Mountain with ten miles of hiking trails and a rare black spruce bog; the adjoining Mohawk Mountain Ski Area is Connecticut's largest ski hill, with night skiing and snowmaking. At Cornwall Bridge, Housatonic Meadows State Park — which sits on the Sharon/Cornwall town line — offers riverside camping and a stretch of the Housatonic restricted to catch-and-release fly fishing. Cornwall Market bakes bread and pastries daily, and the family-run Cornwall Inn is the area's main lodging.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Cornwall?
By car via US Route 7 (through Cornwall Bridge and West Cornwall), CT Route 4, or CT Route 128 over the covered bridge. There's no passenger rail; the nearest station is Metro-North's Harlem Line terminus at Wassaic, NY.
Is the West Cornwall Covered Bridge still open to cars?
Yes — it carries a single lane of traffic on CT Route 128, though it's officially considered functionally obsolete and was reinforced with hidden steel supports in 1968 and 1973.
What is the Foreign Mission School's connection to Hawaii?
Cornwall's Foreign Mission School (1817-1826) trained Indigenous and international students as missionaries; its best-known student, Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia, was buried in Cornwall Cemetery before his remains were returned to Hawaii in 1993. The town still commemorates the link.
Can I ski at Mohawk Mountain?
Yes — Mohawk Mountain Ski Area is Connecticut's largest ski hill, with a 650-foot vertical drop, night skiing, and snowmaking, adjoining Mohawk State Forest.
Where can I eat and stay in Cornwall?
Cornwall Market in Cornwall Bridge bakes bread and pastries daily and serves breakfast and lunch. The family-run Cornwall Inn, also in Cornwall Bridge, is the area's main lodging, with 13 rooms and a continental breakfast.

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