Henszey's Wrought Iron Arch Bridge
East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Early example of a wrought iron bowstring arch truss bridge. Patented in 1869 by Joseph G. Henszey and built that year by the Continental Bridge Co. of Philadelphia, this bridge was part of a proliferation of bridges following the Civil War. In Lehigh County it crossed Trout Creek in Slatington and then was moved in 1900 to span the Ontelaunee Creek at Wanamaker. In 2002, the bridge was moved to Summerdale to carry pedestrian traffic.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Patented in 1869 by Joseph G. Henszey and built the same year by Philadelphia's Continental Bridge Co., this wrought iron bowstring arch truss is an early survivor of the bridge-building boom that followed the Civil War. It first carried traffic over Trout Creek in Slatington, was relocated in 1900 to span Ontelaunee Creek, and in 2002 moved again to Summerdale to carry pedestrians. Few of its kind remain.
Why it matters
The little arch is a rare relic of the postwar engineering surge that stitched the nation together with iron, when patented truss designs raced to replace timber crossings.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Joseph G. Henszey
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Rockville Bridge
Susquehanna Township, PA · est. 2010
At the dawn of the 20th century, the Pennsylvania Railroad built the Rockville Bridge across the Susquehanna—a 3,820-foot span of forty-eight stone arches that remains the longest stone masonry arch railroad bridge in the world. Completed in 1902, it was the third crossing the railroad raised at this spot, succeeding a wooden bridge of the 1840s and an iron one of 1877. Its massive, graceful arches testify to an age when the Pennsylvania Railroad was among the mightiest corporations on earth.
Rockville Bridge
Marysville, PA · est. 1986
At the turn of the 20th century the Pennsylvania Railroad was one of the mightiest corporations on earth, and it needed to move ever-heavier freight across the Susquehanna. Its answer, completed in 1902, was a colossal forty-eight-arch stone span—the longest stone masonry arch railroad bridge ever built. It was the third crossing at this spot, replacing a wooden bridge of the 1840s and an iron one of 1877, each outgrown as rail traffic exploded.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Susquehanna Township, PA · est. 2016
Just after the Civil War, Pennsylvania's rivers were being fouled by industrial pollution and blocked by dams that cut off the migrating fish that once filled them. In 1866 Governor Andrew Curtin signed a law creating a state commission to restore those waters and fisheries, among the earliest such bodies in the nation. From hatcheries to habitat protection and law enforcement, the agency grew into a model that other states and federal programs would follow.
Pennsylvania Canal
Harrisburg, PA · est. 1953
In the 1820s and 30s, states raced to build canals that could move freight faster than any road. Pennsylvania answered with an ambitious state-owned system, constructed between 1826 and 1834, meant to link Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Lake Erie across the mountains. The first lock dedicated here in 1827 was christened "Penn Lock," later superseded by newer locks as the network matured.