Walnut Street Bridge
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Oldest surviving bridge over the Susquehanna. Opened by the People's Bridge Co. in 1890. "Old Shakey," one of the last remaining multi-span Phoenix truss bridges, was a toll bridge until 1957. Flood damage, 1972, closed it to automobiles. Three of its 15 spans were destroyed, 1996.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Opened in 1890 by the People's Bridge Company, the Walnut Street Bridge is the oldest surviving crossing of the Susquehanna at Harrisburg and one of the last great multi-span Phoenix truss bridges in the country. Locals nicknamed it "Old Shakey," and it carried toll-paying traffic until 1957. The devastating 1972 flood closed it to cars, and a later flood in 1996 swept away three of its fifteen spans, leaving it a beloved pedestrian relic.
Why it matters
Its wrought-iron Phoenix columns are a rare survival of the ironwork that revolutionized 19th-century American bridge building, linking the city's people to the river that defined it.
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Related events
- · 1972 Susquehanna flood
- · 1996 Susquehanna flood
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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