Sam Wagner Covered Bridge

By Doug - January 23, 2022

Also known as the Gottlieb Brown Covered Bridge, the Sam Wagner Covered Bridge spans over the Chillisquaque Creek on the county line between Montour and Northumberland Counties on Bridge Road near Potts Grove, Pennsylvania. The 95 foot long covered bridge was built in 1881 by George W. Keefer at a cost of $1,939. George Keefer was the builder of a number of covered bridges in this region of Pennsylvania (the Keefer Station Covered Bridge near Sunbury, Pennsylvania is another covered bridge he built), so the powers that be knew that they would get a quality finished product. Constructed with a single-span multiple Kingpost with a Burr arch truss design, the bridge serves one lane of vehicular traffic with a weight limit of 3 tons.

The Sam Wagner Covered Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and was rehabilitated in 1985. As Northumberland and Montour Counties jointly own the covered bridge, they pledged $17,500 each for bridge repairs when restoration took place. The Robert Newton firm in Watsontown, Pennsylvania won the contract for bridge repairs at $29,400, which involved taking apart the bridge's joints and replacing some of the timber.

I enjoyed my visit to the Sam Wagner Covered Bridge. While it was a foggy morning, it added the serenity and quietness that the bridge has to offer. When I visited, it looked like someone decked out the bridge for the holidays, which was a nice touch. The covered bridge is also a stone's throw away from I-80, which makes it a nice little detour when passing through the area.