Perkiomen Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Perkiomen Bridge, originally built 1798-99 and widened in 1928, is one of the oldest stone arch bridges in the United States still in use. It crosses Perkiomen Creek
near Collegeville
, Pennsylvania
. The bridge's six semi-circular arches cover a total of over 300 feet (91.4 m). The longest arch spans 76 feet (23.2 m). Decorative piers and belts courses are usual for a bridge this old. A lottery
financed $20,000 of the original construction. The bridge carried the main road from Philadelphia to Reading
, known at various times as the Manatawny Pike, Germantown Pike, the Philadelphia-Reading Pike, and US 422. Since the construction of the US 422 bypass, the road has been known as Ridge Pike or Old US 422.
The bridge is constructed of cut stones, but they are only laid in regular courses on the spandrel
s and on the top of the parapet
.
The bridge was widened in 1928 by removing all the stone facing on the north side of the bridge, extending the arches 15 feet (4.6 m) north with concrete rather than stone, and resetting the facing. This expansion added a third lane of traffic and a sidewalk on the north side. Rounded columns supporting pedestrian viewing bays were added on the north side of the piers. Shorter angular columns were added on the south side of the bridge.
from the Lenni Lenape
tribe in 1684 and eventually sold to Thomas Ruyard of London. In 1699 Edward Lane bought the land from Ruyard, and the purchase was confirmed by Penn in 1701. About 1706 the first section of the Perkiomen Bridge Hotel was built on the west bank of the creek, just to the north of the current bridge site, then known as Phillips Ford. In 1728 the Lenni Lenape released their claim on land in the area for "two guns, six coats, six blankets, six duffel match coats, and four kettles," in effect selling the land again.
A second hotel was built in the area by 1770, to accommodate the traffic between Philadelphia and Reading.
Several wooden bridges, including a pontoon bridge, were built across the ford before 1797, but they were all destroyed within a few years by springtime flooding.
The Pennsylvania Legislature approved a lottery in 1797 to raise funds for the bridge, eventually raising $20,000. The bridge was completed in 1799 at a cost of $60,000, opening on November 2.
The original dedication plaque on the bridge reads:
The bridge was not completely paid for, so tolls were collected for five years after its construction.
Increased road traffic followed the completion of the bridge, and with the start of regular stage coach service between Philadelphia and Reading, the hotel next to the bridge became an overnight stop marking the halfway point of the trip. Turnpikes were created from Germantown
to the east end of the bridge in 1804, and from the western end of the bridge to Reading
about 1816, but the trip across the bridge remained toll-free until 1867. In that year a toll booth was constructed on the western end of the bridge, and outraged residents burned it down before any tolls could be collected. In 1872 a toll booth was erected on the eastern end. This time residents obtained a court order prohibiting the collection of tolls within a mile of the bridge, then they burned down the toll booth.
Trolley tracks were laid on the south side of the bridge in 1896, eventually connecting Norristown
to the south with Trappe
on the north. A historical society sued to keep the tracks off the bridge, but the trolley company built the tracks without permission, presenting the court with a fait accompli. The trolleys ran until 1933.
To avoid the necessity of curved approaches, the American Automobile Association
lobbied for the removal of the old bridge in 1938, to be replaced by a steel and concrete bridge. No major changes to the bridge occurred however and in the 1980s the new routing of US 422 removed much of the heavy traffic from the bridge.
A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
marker was erected by the bridge in 1947 and the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988. The Perkiomen Bridge Hotel adjacent to the bridge was listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.
Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania in the United States.Perkiomen Creek begins in Hereford Township, Berks County, initially flows eastward into Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, and turns southward to reenter...
near Collegeville
Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Collegeville is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia on the Perkiomen Creek. Collegeville was incorporated in 1896. It is the seat of Ursinus College, opened in 1869...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The bridge's six semi-circular arches cover a total of over 300 feet (91.4 m). The longest arch spans 76 feet (23.2 m). Decorative piers and belts courses are usual for a bridge this old. A lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
financed $20,000 of the original construction. The bridge carried the main road from Philadelphia to Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, known at various times as the Manatawny Pike, Germantown Pike, the Philadelphia-Reading Pike, and US 422. Since the construction of the US 422 bypass, the road has been known as Ridge Pike or Old US 422.
Architecture
The creek is about 150 feet (45.7 m) wide and runs north and south near Collegeville. The road, however, runs northwest to southeast and the bridge crosses perpendicular to the creek causing a sharp turn in the road on the east side of the bridge, and a more gradual bend on the west side. As designed by John Lewis the bridge was 27 feet (8.2 m) wide and 453 feet (138.1 m) long including the approaches. Five arches cross the creek with the center arch 76 feet (23.2 m) long, and the arches next to it 61 feet (18.6 m) long. The outside arches are 30 feet (9.1 m) long. Supporting the eastern approach is a sixth arch, 56 feet (17.1 m) long, which is about 100 feet (30.5 m) east of the creek.The bridge is constructed of cut stones, but they are only laid in regular courses on the spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s and on the top of the parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
.
The bridge was widened in 1928 by removing all the stone facing on the north side of the bridge, extending the arches 15 feet (4.6 m) north with concrete rather than stone, and resetting the facing. This expansion added a third lane of traffic and a sidewalk on the north side. Rounded columns supporting pedestrian viewing bays were added on the north side of the piers. Shorter angular columns were added on the south side of the bridge.
History
The area on the "Pahkehoma" Creek was purchased by William PennWilliam Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
from the Lenni Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
tribe in 1684 and eventually sold to Thomas Ruyard of London. In 1699 Edward Lane bought the land from Ruyard, and the purchase was confirmed by Penn in 1701. About 1706 the first section of the Perkiomen Bridge Hotel was built on the west bank of the creek, just to the north of the current bridge site, then known as Phillips Ford. In 1728 the Lenni Lenape released their claim on land in the area for "two guns, six coats, six blankets, six duffel match coats, and four kettles," in effect selling the land again.
A second hotel was built in the area by 1770, to accommodate the traffic between Philadelphia and Reading.
Several wooden bridges, including a pontoon bridge, were built across the ford before 1797, but they were all destroyed within a few years by springtime flooding.
The Pennsylvania Legislature approved a lottery in 1797 to raise funds for the bridge, eventually raising $20,000. The bridge was completed in 1799 at a cost of $60,000, opening on November 2.
The original dedication plaque on the bridge reads:
The bridge was not completely paid for, so tolls were collected for five years after its construction.
Increased road traffic followed the completion of the bridge, and with the start of regular stage coach service between Philadelphia and Reading, the hotel next to the bridge became an overnight stop marking the halfway point of the trip. Turnpikes were created from Germantown
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
to the east end of the bridge in 1804, and from the western end of the bridge to Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
about 1816, but the trip across the bridge remained toll-free until 1867. In that year a toll booth was constructed on the western end of the bridge, and outraged residents burned it down before any tolls could be collected. In 1872 a toll booth was erected on the eastern end. This time residents obtained a court order prohibiting the collection of tolls within a mile of the bridge, then they burned down the toll booth.
Trolley tracks were laid on the south side of the bridge in 1896, eventually connecting Norristown
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
to the south with Trappe
Trappe, Pennsylvania
Trappe is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census. Augustus Lutheran Church, built in 1743, is the oldest unchanged Lutheran church building in the United States in continuous use by the same congregation...
on the north. A historical society sued to keep the tracks off the bridge, but the trolley company built the tracks without permission, presenting the court with a fait accompli. The trolleys ran until 1933.
To avoid the necessity of curved approaches, the American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
lobbied for the removal of the old bridge in 1938, to be replaced by a steel and concrete bridge. No major changes to the bridge occurred however and in the 1980s the new routing of US 422 removed much of the heavy traffic from the bridge.
A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
marker was erected by the bridge in 1947 and the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988. The Perkiomen Bridge Hotel adjacent to the bridge was listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
- Frankford Avenue BridgeFrankford Avenue BridgeThe Frankford Avenue Bridge, also known as the Pennypack Creek Bridge, the Pennypack Bridge, the Holmesburg Bridge, and the King's Highway Bridge, erected in 1697 or 1698 in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the oldest surviving roadway bridge in the United States...
- List of Pennsylvania state historical markers in Montgomery County
Sources
- Historical American Buildings Survey, Perkiomen Stone Arch Bridge, Spanning Perkiomen Creek at Ridge Pike, Collegeville, Montgomery, PA, 10 photos and 5 data pages.
- PennDOT District 6-0, 1982, Pennsylvania Historic Resources Survey Form for Perkiomen Bridge Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.
- George E. Thomas, 1984, NRHP Nomination Form for Perkiomen Bridge Hotel Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.