Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Pennypack Creek Bridge
By Don Morfe, July 19, 2015
1. Pennypack Creek Bridge Marker - old location
Built circa 1697 at a Lenape Indian trail crossing, it is the oldest roadway bridge in continuous use in the nation. The tri-arch stone span was an important link on the King's Highway, one of America's oldest roads. It served American and French combined forces on the march to Yorktown, known as the Rochambeau Route, in 1781. The only major modification to the bridge was widening in 1893; the upstream side is essentially unchanged from the originalErected 2012 by Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Colonial Era • Native Americans • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission series list.
Location. 40° 2.613′ N, 75° 1.181′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. Marker is at the intersection of Frankfort Avenue and Solly Avenue on Frankfort Avenue. The marker is located at Pennypack Park
By Don Morfe, July 19, 2015
2. Pennypack Creek Bridge Marker - old location
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Greenbelt Knoll (approx. 0.9 miles away); Thomas Holme (1624-1695) (approx. 0.9 miles away); Cambridge School (approx. 2.7 miles away in New Jersey); Benjamin Rush (approx. 3 miles away); Pennepack Baptist Church (approx. 3.1 miles away); a different marker also named Pennepack Baptist Church (approx. 3.1 miles away); Burholme Memorial for Peace (approx. 3.2 miles away); Korea and Vietnam Wars Memorial (approx. 3.2 miles away in New Jersey). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
More about this marker. Marker was relocated to the east a few hundred yards near the Trailhead of the Pennypack Creek Trail. It is near the intersection of Ashburner Road and Frankford Avenue.
Also see . . . Oldest bridge in America. Pennypack Creek Bridge (est. 1697) - Philadelphia, PA - Oldest Bridge in America (Submitted on November 18, 2020, by HistoricTownsOfAmerica.com - Guy Saladino of Long Beach, New York.)
HistoricTownsOfAmerica.com - Guy Saladino, February 5, 2020
3. Pennypack Creek Bridge Marker - new location
Pennypack Creek Bridge (est. 1697), also known as the Frankford Avenue Bridge, Pennypack Bridge, Holmesburg Bridge, located in the Holmesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia, is the oldest roadway bridge in America. The three-span, 73-foot-long stone arch bridge carries Frankford Avenue over Pennypack Creek in Pennypack Park. It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1970. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
By Don Morfe, July 19, 2015
4. Pennypack Creek Bridge
Banner-Frankford Av. Bridge-Kings Highway 1697-1997,National Historic Engineering Landmark Pennypack Creek.
By Don Morfe, July 19, 2015
5. Pennypack Creek Bridge-Upper Holmesburg-1697-Alive with History
Joseph Elliot (courtesy of Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress), 1997
6. Pennypack Creek Bridge, Spanning Pennypack Creek at Frankford Avenue (U.S. Route 13)...
"This three-span stone arch bridge is the oldest surviving roadway bridge in America. It was originally an important crossing along part of the King's Highway connecting Philadelphia to Bristol — one of colonial America's earliest roads. In later years, it carried delegates traveling from New York to draft the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The bridge was paved in 1803 and then widened in 1893 to accommodate streetcars, and it has undergone a number of structural changes in the twentieth century to keep it in operable condition. However, the three semicircular arches and much of the spandrel walls along the bridge's upstream side maintain their original construction. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988." - HABS Statement of Significance
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 337 times since then and 62 times this year. Last updated on August 1, 2020, by Ronald Cupo of Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 23, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 3. submitted on November 18, 2020, by HistoricTownsOfAmerica.com - Guy Saladino of Long Beach, New York. 4, 5. submitted on July 23, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 6. submitted on November 21, 2020. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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