Crossings of the Juniata River

Crossings of the Juniata River. . , 1. In present-day eastern Perry County, the Susquehanna River makes an abrupt southeastward bend around the end of Peter's Mountain. Here, just northwest of this mountain, many millions of years ago, the Juniata River joined the Susquehanna. Over time, an alluvial flood plain as well as several large islands formed from the yearly floods, which accompanied the winter snows, spring rains, and summer storms. The shallow waters near where the two rivers met became a logical crossing point for westward travel, from prehistoric to modern times., 2. Established where the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers meet, the Baskins' Ferry dates back to before the spring of 1767. Owned and operated by James Baskins, the ferry enjoyed many years of service. It was operated by various generations of the Baskins family until 1839, when a bridge spanning the river was constructed., 3. The ferry was reestablished in 1865 when the bridge was swept away by a flood. A special act of the Pennsylvania Legislature mandated the rebuilding of the bridge by January 1, 1874., Ferry service resumed again in 1889 after yet another flood swept away the bridge. this time an iron bridge was built to cross the river. A concrete bridge replaced the iron one in 1922 and still stands 100 years later, as of 2022., 4. Just west of here near the tip of Duncan's Island, an old channel known as "The Gut" helped form the island. At that location, the Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Canal crossed the Juniata River by an aqueduct., [Captions:] , This postcard from the western shore of the Juniata River shows the landing for Baskins' Ferry here on Duncan's Island and some of the boats on the shore., The Iron Juniata Road Bridge as it appeared from here at the point of Duncan's Island, prior to 1922 when the concrete arch bridge was erected., Photo - Duncannon PA Sesquicentennial "A Trail Through Time". , 1890 photo of the Aqueduct near Amity Hall which carried the Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal over the Juniata River., Construction of these aqueducts gave bridge builders of the 1820's and 30's difficulty because of the tremendous amount of weight the water channel carried as a constant, and not an intermittent load. Masonry canal aqueducts were more desirable and required less maintenance than the wooden variety. Generally, there were more wooden aqueducts built in the early canal days than masonry, and particularly at sizable creek or river crossings., Photo - The Best from American Canals. , Entrance to the Aqueduct at Amity Hall, circa 1890. Pennsylvania's east-west and north-south canal systems intersected here. The aqueduct was used until 1901. The wooden portions of the aqueduct were removed long ago. Abutment and piers remain, and nearby is a well-preserved lock., Photo - The Perry Heritage Collection. , Special thank you to the Duncannon American Legion Post 340, American Legion Post 340 Auxiliary, Duncannon VFW Post 255, local businesses and individuals for helping to fund this project and to Reeser's Gun Shop and Gunsmithing for use of the land.