Thomas Mill Covered Bridge

Summary

The Thomas Mill Covered Bridge, aka the Thomas Mill Bridge or the Thomas Mill Road Covered Bridge, is a historic, single-span, wooden covered bridge across the Wissahickon Creek in Wissahickon Valley Park in Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Mill Covered Bridge
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge in 1972
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge is located in Philadelphia
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge is located in Pennsylvania
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge is located in the United States
Thomas Mill Covered Bridge
LocationThomas Mill Rd., Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°04′19″N 75°13′32″W / 40.07187°N 75.22559°W / 40.07187; -75.22559
Built1855
MPSCovered Bridges of the Delaware River Watershed TR
NRHP reference No.80003621[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 1, 1980

The only remaining covered bridge in Philadelphia and the only covered bridge in a major American city, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

History and architectural features edit

This 86.5-foot-long (26.4 m), 18.66-foot-wide (5.69 m), Howe truss bridge was built in 1855. It was renovated by the Works Progress Administration in 1939, and by the city of Philadelphia in 2000.[2]

It is the only remaining covered bridge in Philadelphia and is the only covered bridge in a major US city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is a Contributing Property of the Chestnut Hill Historic District.

The bridge is open to pedestrian traffic.

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Bridges". Friends of the Wissahickon. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Thomas Mill Covered Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-19, "Covered Bridge, Thomas Mill Road (Spanning Wissahickon Creek), Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA", 2 photos, 1 color transparency, 2 measured drawings, 2 photo caption pages
  • Article at Drexel University
  • "A Bridge Too Old", by Amy Choi, Philadelphia Citypaper, August 27–September 3, 1998
  • Thomas Mill Covered Bridge data from the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings (PAB) project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
  • Listing and photographs at BridgeHunter.com
  • Wood, Stone, and Steel: Bridges in the Wissahickon, Friends of the Wissahickon