Colvin Bridge

By -
Colvin Covered Bridge (Bee Family)
The Colvin Bridge is one of the oldest of Bedford County's numerous covered bridges.  Originally built by J.H. Thompson in 1880, the bridge was refurbished in 1997 by Kee-ta Quay Construction.  The Colvin Bridge along with the Palo Alto Bridge is one of two multiple king post bridges in the county.  A third, the McDaniels, was destroyed by fire on Easter Sunday in 1988.  The county owned bridge is also known as the Calvin or Shiller Bridge.

Colvin Covered Bridge (Bee Family)

Bridge Specs:
Number: 38-05-24
Design: Multiple King Post
Length: 72 feet
Crosses: Shawnee Creek
Built: 1880
 
Directions:

  • From Bedford: Follow US 30 West to Schellsburg, one block after the PA 96 intersection (traffic light)  turn left onto Pitt Road, then continue Southwest on Mill Road (Township Road 443) to bridge.

    • Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Inwood Iron Bridge - Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

    By -
    Image
      While the number of historic iron truss and metal truss bridges has been dwindling over the years due to several factors, occasionally a bridge will be preserved for its historical value. Such is the case of the Inwood Iron Bridge, which was built in 1899 and located near Lickdale, Pennsylvania. The Inwood Iron Bridge was fabricated by the Pittsburgh Bridge Company and erected by Nelson and Buchanan of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is historically significant as one of the oldest surviving Pennsylvania thru truss highway bridges in Pennsylvania. Early examples of Pennsylvania (Petit) thru-truss highway bridges from before the 20th Century were not common as the design was more often used for railroad bridges. Only a handful of such roadway bridges have been identified around Pennsylvania, making the Inwood Iron Bridge more historically significant. The 151-foot-long Inwood Iron Bridge crossed Swatara Creek and was located not far from Swatara State Park in Lebanon County, Pennsy...
    Read more

    John Eisenhower Bridge

    By -
    Image
    When you explore the back roads around Gettysburg, you'll most likely find some great things.  Just behind the Eisenhower Farm on Red Rock Road - and not that long of a stroll from Sachs Covered Bridge - is an 1886 iron truss bridge named after Dwight Eisenhower's son, John.  John Eisenhower was an officer in the United States Army, served as the US Ambassador to Belgium, and was a military historian. The John Eisenhower Bridge crosses Willoughby Run, and its use is limited to bicycles and pedestrians.  The 84-foot-long bridge was designed and constructed by Gibert & Smith.  It is a Pratt-through truss design.  Flood waters severely damaged the bridge in 1996.  Two years later, the bridge was completely restored.  In 2012, Adams County completed a project  fully refurbishing the bridge deck. Willoughby Run Like the nearby Sachs Covered Bridge, the Eisenhower Bridge is considered haunted.  It is known locally as the " Suicide Bridge ;" gho...
    Read more

    Union Canal Tunnel Park

    By -
    Image
        A canal linking Philadelphia with the Susquehanna River across southern Pennsylvania had been in the making for quite some time. This eventually gave birth to the Union Canal, which was built between Middletown, located along the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, with Reading on the Schuylkill River, which winds its way to Philadelphia. During the canal's construction, several land features had to be dealt with, and in the case of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, it was more practical to build a tunnel through a hill than to build a series of locks. This gave birth to the Union Canal Tunnel. The Union Canal Tunnel was a critical link connecting the eastern and western branches of the 82-mile Union Canal, which was built through the ridge dividing the Quittapahilla Creek and Clark's Run just northwest of the center city of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest existing tunnel in the United States, dug through 729 feet of slate rock which contained veins of limestone. Drilling for ...
    Read more