Sachs Covered Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Sachs Covered Bridge , also known as Sauck's Covered Bridge and Waterworks Covered Bridge, is a 100 feet (30.5 m), Town truss covered bridge
over Marsh Creek
between Cumberland
and Freedom
Townships, Adams County
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. The bridge was also known as the Sauches Covered Bridge at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg
. It is located in the Gettysburg National Military Park
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
During the American Civil War
, both the Union
and Confederate
Armies used the bridge in the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath.
heading towards Gettysburg. The III Corps also crossed the bridge heading to the Black Horse Tavern
. Four days later, the majority of General Robert E. Lee
's Army of Northern Virginia
retreated over the bridge after the Union victory in the Battle of Gettysburg
.
The bridge was designated Pennsylvania's "most historic bridge" in 1938 by the predecessor of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
, the Department of Highways. After a plan in 1960 to replace the bridge, the Cumberland Township officials voted to close the bridge to vehicular traffic, while leaving it open to pedestrians, on May 9, 1968. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on August 25, 1980.
On June 19, 1996, a flash flood
knocked the bridge from one of its abutment
s and it incurred substantial damage; an iron bridge on the Marsh Creek was also heavily damaged and another destroyed. A $500,000 restoration on the bridge was already in progress before the flood; an additional $100,000 was raised to repair the damage incurred. The bridge was rededicated on July 21, 1997.
site of freshwater for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
. Originally constructed in 1894, the works were rebuilt by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, when the site had a pumping station, a filter plant, and 4 drilled wells (1 nearly dry). The reservoir is supplied by a 57.5 sq mi (148.9 km²) drainage area that is upstream of the Sachs Covered Bridge.
of Connecticut
and consists of wooden beams "cris-crossed" to form a lattice. The bridge was one of few remaining Town truss bridges in Pennsylvania. The bridge is 100 feet (30.5 m) long and 15 in 4 in (4.67 m) wide.
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
over Marsh Creek
Marsh Creek (Monocacy River)
Marsh Creek is a tributary of the Monocacy River in south-central Pennsylvania and north-central Maryland in the United States. Marsh Creek and Rock Creek join below Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Battlefield to form the Monocacy River...
between Cumberland
Cumberland Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland Township is a township in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of...
and Freedom
Freedom Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Freedom Township is a township in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 844 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 0.07% is water....
Townships, Adams County
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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 was also known as the Sauches Covered Bridge at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. It is located in the Gettysburg National Military Park
Gettysburg National Military Park
The Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
and 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 1980.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, both the Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
Armies used the bridge in the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath.
History
The Sachs Covered Bridge was built around 1854 at a cost of $1,544. On July 1, 1863, the bridge was crossed by the two brigades of the I Corps of the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
heading towards Gettysburg. The III Corps also crossed the bridge heading to the Black Horse Tavern
Black Horse Tavern (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
Black Horse Tavern is a space museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.It was built in 1812 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.-References:*...
. Four days later, the majority of General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
retreated over the bridge after the Union victory in the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
.
The bridge was designated Pennsylvania's "most historic bridge" in 1938 by the predecessor of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Barry Schoch Presently, PennDOT supports over of state roads and highways, about 25,000...
, the Department of Highways. After a plan in 1960 to replace the bridge, the Cumberland Township officials voted to close the bridge to vehicular traffic, while leaving it open to pedestrians, on May 9, 1968. It 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...
on August 25, 1980.
On June 19, 1996, a flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
knocked the bridge from one of its abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s and it incurred substantial damage; an iron bridge on the Marsh Creek was also heavily damaged and another destroyed. A $500,000 restoration on the bridge was already in progress before the flood; an additional $100,000 was raised to repair the damage incurred. The bridge was rededicated on July 21, 1997.
Waterworks
The Gettysburg Waterworks is the Marsh CreekMarsh Creek (Monocacy River)
Marsh Creek is a tributary of the Monocacy River in south-central Pennsylvania and north-central Maryland in the United States. Marsh Creek and Rock Creek join below Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Battlefield to form the Monocacy River...
site of freshwater for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
. Originally constructed in 1894, the works were rebuilt by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, when the site had a pumping station, a filter plant, and 4 drilled wells (1 nearly dry). The reservoir is supplied by a 57.5 sq mi (148.9 km²) drainage area that is upstream of the Sachs Covered Bridge.
Design
The Sachs Covered Bridge is a Town truss covered bridge. The truss design was developed by Ithiel TownIthiel Town
Ithiel Town was a prominent American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the first half of the 19th century. He was high-strung, sophisticated, generous,...
of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and consists of wooden beams "cris-crossed" to form a lattice. The bridge was one of few remaining Town truss bridges in Pennsylvania. The bridge is 100 feet (30.5 m) long and 15 in 4 in (4.67 m) wide.
See also
- List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, PennsylvaniaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, PennsylvaniaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, Pennsylvania.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States...
Further Reading
- Sachs Covered Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
- Sachs Covered Bridge at Bridge Hunter