Fowlersville Covered Bridge

Fowlersville Covered Bridge. . , At one time in Pennsylvania there were at least 1,526 covered bridges, also referred to as "kissing bridges". Today only about 200 remain, which is still more than any other state in the US. The Fowlersville Covered Bridge was built in 1886 by Charles King for a price of $397.00. The bridge was named after the Fowler family who became a prominent family after settling in the area following the Revolutionary War., Fowlersville Covered Bridge was one of the last bridges built in the county and was originally located across the West Branch of Briar Creek on SR 1015 near Fowlersville in North Centre Township. In 1986 it was moved and rebuilt in Briar Creek County Park in Briar Creek. It spans an unnamed tributary of Briar Creek in a lovely wooded section of the park near picnic pavilions and is accessible on foot seasonally., Due to increased trade operations in the 1820's ferry traffic created a bottleneck to commerce, which created a need for bridges. An abundance of trees in the area provided a cheap and natural source of building material for bridges. However, a bridge built entirely out of wood, without any protective coating, may only last 10 to 15 years, but if the bridge's underpinnings were protected with a roof, the bridge could stand for up to 80 years. This new style of construction became known as the Permanent Bridge. Bridges were normally constructed by local bridge builders, which is why the construction style varies throughout the state. Fowlersville Covered Bridge is 40 feet, 1-1/2 inches in length overall and features a Queenpost truss construction style. A queenpost is a supporting post designed to span longer openings than a kingpost, up to 75 feet. A kingpost uses one central supporting post, whereas the queenpost is an expansion that uses two., Bridge Facts , Year Built: 1886 , Waterway: Small Spring-Fed Run , Builder: Charles King , Truss: Queenpost, Protecting our Past , Covered bridges are often damaged or destroyed by flooding. However, Pennsylvania falls within the national average of three to five covered bridges lost each year to vandalism acts such as arson. Relocating a bridge to a park-like setting will help protect and preserve the life of the structure for years to come for future generations.