Old Stone Arch Bridge - Lewistown, Pennsylvania

By -

  


With its original construction dating back to 1813, Lewistown, Pennsylvania's Old Stone Arch Bridge is certainly one of the oldest existing stone arch bridges in the United States. The bridge is considered to be the oldest single span stone arch bridge in central Pennsylvania, although Pennsylvania does have its fair share of stone arch bridges in the eastern and southern sections of the commonwealth. Built by Philip Diehl over Jacks Creek as part of the historic Harrisburg and Pittsburgh Turnpike, this bridge is one of the remaining pieces of the old turnpike, most of which has either been paved over or lost to time. As the old turnpike and the stone arch bridge follow close to US 22 in Lewistown, it is likely that parts of the old turnpike is now on roads that thousands of people drive daily.

One interesting feature of the Old Stone Arch Bridge is that the arch does not have a keystone. The bridge has lived a rather quiet existence over the past few centuries, but the bridge was brought a small amount of renown when it was featured in a lithograph by Currier and Ives in 1850. The bridge had repair work in 1930 and 1957, and was fully restored in 2006.

Regarding the restoration that took place in 2006, the ball started rolling on that a few years prior. In 2002, Mifflin County was awarded in 2002 a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to make structural repairs to the Old Stone Arch Bridge. Final plans for the bridge were completed and approved in 2004 and project construction began in June 2005.

The work on this historic bridge included repairing the concrete walls and stone arch, reinforcing the concrete substructure within the bridge's walls, installing an interior drainage system and constructing a walkway from Jacks Creek to the bridge. The total final cost of the project was about $460,000. Work on the stone arch bridge was completed in November 2005 while landscaping, bank stabilization, and walkway improvements along Grant Avenue were completed in May 2006.

Today, there is a small park around the Old Stone Arch Bridge, allowing for passive recreation and appreciation of the bridge. One can peacefully enjoy the bridge from a reasonable distance, or get up closer to the bridge as I have done. As a fan of stone arch bridges, I had to make the detour to see the Old Stone Arch Bridge when my travels took me through Lewistown. Even with battling a little rain and hearing thunder in the not-so-far distance, it was worth visiting.


bi







How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Waymarking.com - Stone Arch Bridge - Lewistown, PA
Interesting Pennsylvania and Beyond - Lewistown's Old Stone Arch Bridge Park: Quaint 200+ Year Old Bridge
Bridgehunter.com - Old Arch Bridge
Scenic USA - Pennsylvania - Old Stone Arch Bridge
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania - Historic Preservation


Update Log:
September 25, 2021 - Crossposted to Gribblenation / https://www.gribblenation.org/2021/09/old-stone-arch-bridge-lewistown.html
Location: 1 Jacks Creek Ln, Lewistown, PA 17044, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Somerfield and the Great Crossings Bridge

By -
Image
West of Addison, US 40 crosses the Youghiogheny River at what once was the town of Somerfield.  When crossing the current modern two lane bridge, you many not realize that it is actually the third to cross the Yough at this site.  The first - a stone arch bridge - was known as the Great Crossings Bridge.  Built in 1818, this three arch bridge was part of the original National Road.  The name Great Crossings comes from the men who forded the Youghiogheny here - George Washington and George Braddock. (1)  If you cross the bridge at the right time, this historic bridge and what was once the town of Somerfield will appear out from underneath this massive man-made lake. Historical Postcard showing the 'Big Crossings' bridge and Somerfield.  Image submitted by Vince Ferrari. The Great Crossings Bridge was located in the town of Somerfield.  Somerfield, originally named Smythfield until 1827, would develop as a result of the National Road. (1)  Somerfield would go th
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 ;" ghost hunters from throughout
Read more

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, Pennsylvan
Read more