History Forksville Covered Bridge

1 history

1.1 background
1.2 construction , description
1.3 restoration , use

history
background

the first covered bridge in united states built in 1800 on schuylkill river in philadelphia, pennsylvania. according zacher, first covered bridges of burr arch truss design built in state. pennsylvania estimated have once had @ least 1,500 covered bridges , believed have had in country between 1830 , 1875. in 2001, pennsylvania had more surviving historic covered bridges other state, 221 remaining in 40 of 67 counties.

covered bridges transition between stone , metal bridges, latter made of cast-iron or steel. in 19th-century pennsylvania, lumber abundant resource bridge construction, did not last long when exposed elements. roof , enclosed sides of covered bridges protected structural elements, allowing of these bridges survive on century. burr arch truss consists of load-bearing arch sandwiching multiple king posts, resulting in stronger , more rigid structure 1 made of either element alone.

construction , description

although there 30 covered bridges in sullivan county in 1890, 5 left 1954, , of 2011 3 remain: forksville, hillsgrove, , sonestown. 3 burr arch truss covered bridges , built in 1850. forksville covered bridge built sullivan county sadler rogers (or rodgers), native of forksville 18 @ time. hand-carved model of bridge before work began , used supervise construction. rogers built forksville , hillsgrove bridges across loyalsock creek, latter 5 miles (8.0 km) downstream of former. although sources not list builder of sonestown bridge, 1997 newspaper article on remaining sullivan county covered bridges reported rodgers had designed too.

bridge interior view showing burr arches

the forksville covered bridge added nrhp on july 24, 1980, in multiple property submission of 7 covered bridges of bradford, sullivan , lycoming counties. 2009 national bridge inventory (nbi) lists covered bridge 152 feet 11 inches (46.6 m) long, roadway 12 feet 2 inches (3.7 m) wide, , maximum load of 3.0 short tons (2.7 metric tons). according nrhp, bridge s road surface width 15 feet (4.6 m), sufficient single lane of traffic. of 2011, each portal has small sign reading 1850 sadler rogers @ top, above sign posted clearance height of 8.0 feet (2.4 m), , no trucks allowed sign hanging below these.

the covered bridge rests on original stone abutments, have since been reinforced concrete. bridge deck, supported steel beams, made of narrow crosswise planks . wheel guards on deck separate roadway pedestrian walkways on either side , protect sides, covered vertical planks eaves. bridge has long, narrow windows wooden shutters: south side has 4 windows, , north side has three. opening between eaves , siding runs length of bridge on both sides. bridge supported burr arch truss of 16 panels, wooden beams. gable roof sheet metal , used model illustration of classic gable roof covered bridge u.s. department of transportation federal highway administration s turner-fairbank highway research center.

restoration , use

detail of wooden deck, wheel guard, walkway, , black steel girders on vertical king posts

in 19th century forksville covered bridge survived major floods on march 1, 1865, , june 1, 1889, destroyed other bridges in west branch susquehanna river valley. between 1870 , 1890, logging in loyalsock creek watershed produced lumber rafts floated beneath bridge. these rafts, each containing 5,000–30,000 board feet (12–70 m) of lumber, carried down loyalsock mouth @ montoursville, , continued on west branch susquehanna river beyond. rafts ended when eastern hemlock clearcut.

from 1908 1913, there stream gauge on bridge. twice day, creek height read on chain 21.88 feet (6.67 m) long on bridge s upstream side, , discharge measurements taken on downstream side. @ time served single span, wooden, covered highway bridge . bridge survived major flood on november 16, 1926, when dam broke upstream badly damaged ice jam on january 23, 1959, in flood left blocks of ice weighing 500 pounds (230 kg) in streets of forksville.

the forksville covered bridge restored in 1970 nrhp nomination form describes kinds of odd repairs . restoration work completed t. corbin lewis of hillsgrove township, retired electrical contractor, low bid of $48,000 was accepted on baltimore, maryland, firm s $185,000 bid. restoration supervised pennsylvania department of transportation (penndot), owns , maintains bridge. repair involved minor work on steel floor beams , stringers , had been added years before. entirely new wooden deck installed, wheel guards (wooden curbs) channel vehicle traffic center , protect pedestrian walkways on sides. windows cut in bridge s sides first time, , steel girders added support bridge s understructure.

view south loyalsock creek out of window cut in bridge in 1970

attitudes towards covered bridges in sullivan county changed considerably in last half of 20th century. 2 of 5 bridges remaining in 1954 razed 1970, when penndot considered tearing down forksville bridge too. renovated rather razed because of historic nature , appeal tourists. forksville covered bridge added nrhp in 1980, , pennsylvania historical , museum commission forbids destruction of covered bridge on nrhp in state , has approve renovation work.

the nbi says bridge reconstructed in 2004 not give further details. entire bridge has been reinforced steel girders, including vertical beams. in 2006 red bridge repainted, took 3 weeks.

the bridge s condition described in 1980 nrhp form, zacher s 1994 book, , evans 2001 book. however, 2009 federal highway administration national bridge inventory found sufficiency rating of bridge structure 17.7 percent. found bridge s foundations determined stable calculated scour conditions railing not meet acceptable standards . overall condition deemed intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action ; 2006 nbi estimated cost improve bridge @ $463,000.

the east portal , north side of bridge pa 154

today forksville covered bridge heavily used, direct , shortest route pa 154, @ eastern end, forksville , general store, @ western end. in 2000, forksville had 147 residents. posted speed limit 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), , average daily traffic 224 vehicles in 2009. bridge used logo of farmers & mechanics mutual insurance company, founded in sullivan county in 1877.

in addition utility, bridge appreciated history , beauty. in 1970 a long-time forksville resident spoke of bridge s connection past: when stand quiet on bridge , woods still, can hear horses clomping on wooden deck did in years gone by; can see youngsters climbed rafters of bridge skinny-dip in creek below . zacher s 1994 the covered bridges of pennsylvania: guide describes bridge s location on rocky loyalsock creek 1 of attractive settings in state.