Waterford Covered Bridge, Waterford Township, Pennsylvania - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

DIRECTIONS TO THE BRIDGE:

In Waterford, from High Street (US 19), turn east on to E 1st Street (between Post Office & Judson House). Turn right on to East Street. The bridge is about 0.8 miles from this intersection. The road becomes dirt and is renamed Niemeyer Road. There is adequate parking for several cars at the bridge.


The Waterford Bridge is a 78 feet long covered bridge that spans Le Boeuf Creek for Niemeyer Road in Waterford Township, Erie County. The bridge is located about 1 mile east of Waterford. It has a Town truss, also known as a lattice truss. The bridge has a 3 ton load limit and a clearance of 10 feet. The bridge is painted barn red and has a shingled roof. The overall condition of the bridge is good. The paint looks fairly recent perhaps five years old, but does show some signs of peeling on the north side. The bridge has some graffiti on the interior beams and on the east side abutment. The lower side of the bridge looks original with the exception of the abutments. The west side has been replaced recently with new concrete. The siding above the east portal has been damaged, but otherwise the bridge appeared to be in good condition.

We could not find a date or plaque on the bridge. We did find a photo on the internet of a plaque that was on the west side peak (see photo). If the plaque is correct, the bridge is also known as the “Old Kissing Bridge” and was built in 1875 by the Phelp Brothers. According to the National Register website, the builder / engineers of the bridge were Richard Cross, Charles Phelps, and James Phelps.

This bridge was a real find for us because we didn’t know it was here, and it is the only bridge we have seen with the Town truss. We discovered the bridge looking at a display board at the Judson House. For more information on the Town truss, as well as other covered bridge trusses, see the excellent article “Truss Types” in the links below. The site also has a complete listing of all the covered bridges in Pennsylvania. For driving tour with directions to some of the more popular covered bridges in Lawrence, Mercer, and Erie Counties see the Pittsburgh and Its Countryside site below.

For those with an interest in history, there are Waymarks for five Pennsylvania Historical Markers and another National Register Waymark very close to the Post Office in Waterford. Use Zipcode 16441 to find all of the nearby Waymarks. This bridge is also a Waymark in the Covered Bridges Category, see link below.


LINKS:

Waymark: Waterford Covered Bridge:
(visit link)


The Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania, “Truss Types”
(visit link)

Pittsburgh and Its Countryside: “Lawrence/ Mercer/ Erie Covered Bridge Driving Tour”:
(visit link)

Street address: Niemeyer Road (T-459) Waterford Township, PA USA 16441 County / Borough / Parish: Erie County, Waterford Township Year listed: 1980 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Historic function: Transportation (Bridge) Current function: Transportation (Bridge, Still Active) Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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