Pennypack Creek Bridge
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
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 original.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Built about 1697 where a Lenape trail forded Pennypack Creek, this modest triple-arched stone span is reckoned the oldest roadway bridge in continuous use in the United States. It carried the King's Highway, one of colonial America's great overland routes, and in 1781 bore the tramp of American and French troops marching south with Rochambeau toward the decisive siege of Yorktown. Widened only once, in 1893, its upstream face looks much as it did when William Penn's colony was young.
Why it matters
Spanning from a Native footpath to a colonial highway to a Revolutionary march, this humble bridge is a living thread through three centuries of American movement, still bearing traffic more than 325 years on.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Illadelph Glass Gallery9.1 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House9.1 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Muse Gallery9.1 mi away · 52 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Larry Becker Contemporary Art9.1 mi away · 43 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center9.2 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Paradigm Gallery + Studio9.3 mi away · 12 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle7.3 mi away
- Penguin Park Exhibit9.0 mi away
- Elfreth's Alley9.0 mi away
- Camden Children's Garden9.0 mi away
- Philly Gun Range9.1 mi away · North Percy Street
- Butterfly House9.1 mi away
Food & drink
- 3J's Cafe9.3 mi away · 317 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Bubble Tea Room9.3 mi away · 319 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- PrimoHoagies9.3 mi away · 304 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fork9.3 mi away · 306 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Menagerie Coffee9.3 mi away · 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Mechanics9.3 mi away · 22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia E - Penns Landing9.0 mi away · 100 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
- Penn's View Hotel9.1 mi away · 14 North Front Street, Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia House9.2 mi away · 17 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District9.2 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels9.3 mi away · 33 Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels Philadelphia9.3 mi away · 32 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Thomas Holme (1624-1695)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1995
Thomas Holme came to Pennsylvania in 1682 as William Penn's Surveyor General, charged with turning Penn's ideals into a working colony. He laid out the original grid of Philadelphia, drew the city's first map in 1683, and later mapped the settled parts of the province. He served in the colony's first Assembly and Provincial Council and was buried here on his own estate alongside members of Penn's Crispin relatives.
Rochambeau Route
Bensalem Township, PA · est. 2007
On September 2, 1781, French and American troops under Comte de Rochambeau and General George Washington camped along nearby Poquessing Creek as they marched south. Officers used the Red Lion Inn, once located here, as a headquarters. This encampment was one leg of the extraordinary overland march that carried the allied army to Yorktown, where the decisive victory of the Revolution was won.
Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2002
Benjamin Rush, born on this Philadelphia site, was a physician, teacher, and reformer whose signature joined the Declaration of Independence. A tireless humanitarian, he spoke out against slavery and championed public health and social reform in the young republic. His pioneering study of mental illness earned him the lasting title "Father of American Psychiatry."
Katharine Drexel (1858-1955)
Bensalem Township, PA · est. 2004
Born to a wealthy Philadelphia banking family, Katharine Drexel turned her inheritance toward the people her era most neglected. After professing her vows in 1891 she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and spent more than four decades building mission schools and churches for Native and African American communities, including Holy Providence School near this spot. In 2000 the Catholic Church recognized her as a saint.