Dear Sun Spots: I have been told there are still seven covered bridges in Maine. Can you tell me where they are? – No Name, Auburn.

Answer: In 1959, the Maine Legislature passed a law to preserve Maine’s wooden covered bridges. It said state money could be used to save and renovate covered bridges.

There were once 120 covered bridges in the state of Maine, but fire, flood, ice, progress and the Great Freshet of 1896 have removed all but seven original bridges. Two other covered bridges, lost to fire and flood, have been reconstructed and are considered to have historical importance.

The first bridge across the Kennebec River at Augusta was a Palmer design; an open structure put up by a private company when Maine was still a district of Massachusetts. The covered bridge, which replaced it in 1819, is thought to be the first of its kind in the state. The last-built covered bridge which still survives is the Watson Settlement Bridge, built in 1911 in Littleton.

The two longest covered bridges in Maine, no longer in existence, were the Bangor-Brewer Bridge, a 792-foot structure across the Penobscot River built in 1846 for $60,000, and the bridge at Norridgewock, a 600-foot structure across the Kennebec River.

Here are the seven original bridges and the two replicas listed on the Maine Department of Transportation Web site, www.maine.gov/mdot/covered-bridges

Artist’s Covered Bridge, Newry. This bridge, built in 1872, got its name because of its reputation as the most photographed and painted of Maine’s covered bridges. The bridge, an 87 foot Paddleford truss, was closed to traffic in 1958 when a new bridge was built downstream. It’s about four miles northwest of North Bethel.

Watson Settlement Bridge, Littleton. Built in 1911, it’s the farthest north and most recent of Maine’s original covered bridges. It has timber trusses of the Howe design and two spans with a total length of 170 feet. In 1984, the bridge was closed to traffic when a new bridge was built. The bridge is on the road to Woodstock from Littleton over Meduxnekeag Stream in the town of Littleton.

Robyville Bridge, Corinth. The only completely shingled covered bridge in Maine, this bridge was built in 1876. It has a Long truss design and spans 73 feet between the stone abutments. The bridge crosses Kenduskeag Stream in Robyville Village in the town of Corinth, about three miles northwest of Kenduskeag Village. The bridge was reinforced in 1984 to carry local traffic.

Bennett Bridge, Lincoln Plantation. Built in 1901, this bridge has trusses of the Paddleford type with a total length of 93 feet. It spans the Magalloway River. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1985. It’s 1½ miles south of Wilson Mills.

Lovejoy Bridge, Andover. Built in 1868, this bridge is 70 feet and spans the Ellis River. It has Paddleford trusses and is Maine’s shortest covered bridge. The bridge was reinforced in 1984 to carry local traffic. It’s in South Andover.

Parsonfield-Porter Bridge, Porter. The Parsonsfield-Porter Bridge was built by the towns of Porter and Parsonsfield over the Ossipee River in 1859. The bridge is a 152-foot structure of Paddleford construction strengthened with laminated wooded arches. Located a half mile south of Porter, it was closed to traffic in 1960 when a new bridge was built upstream.

Hemlock Bridge, Fryeburg. Hemlock Bridge, built in 1857, is a 109-foot Paddleford truss strengthened with laminated wooden arches. It was reinforced to carry local traffic in 1988. It is 3 miles northwest of East Fryeburg over an old channel of the Saco River.

Babbs Bridge, South Windham, was built in 1864. The original bridge was burned by vandals in 1973. An exact replica was constructed and opened to traffic in 1976. It is 2½ miles north of South Windham, then a half mile west, over the Presumpscot River between the towns of Gorham and Windham.

Lowes Bridge, Guilford-Sangerville. This bridge, built in 1857, was washed away by a flood in April 1987. A modern covered bridge, patterned after the original, was built on the original abutments in 1990. The bridge has a clear span of 120 feet over the Piscataquis River. It is just off Route 15, south of Guilford Village.

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