About The Oldest Arch Structure In America
Pennypack Creek Bridge is also recognized as America's oldest bridge
An arch is a curved structure that is typically made of stone, brick, concrete, or other materials. It is designed to support and distribute the weight of a load or a structure above it. Arches are known for their distinctive curved shape, which allows them to span openings, such as doorways or windows, and provide structural stability.
Arches have been used in architecture for centuries and are known for their strength and aesthetic appeal. The Pennypack Creek Bridge, established in 1697, also known as the Frankford Avenue Bridge, Pennypack Bridge, Holmesburg Bridge and Kings Highway Bridge is located in Northeast Philadelphia. It is the oldest arch structure in America.
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust recognizes Pennypack Creek Bridge as the nation’s oldest stone arch bridge. American Society Of Civil Engineers (ASCE) defines it as the first known stone arch built in the United States. The U.S. National Park Service defines it as the oldest identified stone arch bridge in the United States.
The three-span, 73-foot-long stone arch bridge carries Frankford Avenue over Pennypack Creek in Pennypack Park. In 1683, William Penn appealed to the English Court at Upland, requesting that a bridge be built across Pennypack Creek to connect his mansion to the new city of Philadelphia.
His request was granted, as were other requests for bridges along the King’s Highway. It was an important link on the King’s Highway that linked Philadelphia with cities to the north (Trenton, New York, and Boston).
In 1781, the bridge witnessed the passage of combined American and French forces on their march to Yorktown during the Revolutionary War. The arch structure was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1970.
It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and received a Pennsylvania Historical Marker in October 2012. The structure was originally 18 feet wide when first built, with just enough room for two horse-drawn carriages to barely pass each other. It was widened in 1893 to accommodate trolley traffic and widened again in 1950 to fit vehicles.
This stone arch structure played a part in transportation history in 1756, when the first stagecoach service from Philadelphia to New York was founded. The trip took three days, and Frankford Avenue and its stone arch bridge were part of the route.
By 1783, that three-day trip had been cut down to one day, thanks to a faster coach called the Flying Machine. In the late 1700s, the Pennypack Creek Bridge (or Frankford Avenue Bridge) began to take part in major historical events.
In August 1774, John Adams and the Continental Congress crossed the bridge on their way to Philadelphia. In April 1775, an express rider galloped across the bridge after a five-day journey to give news of the Battle of Lexington.
In September 1781 American and French troops traveled over this bridge on their way to Yorktown, Virginia, to fight the battle that would end the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution.
In 1789, George Washington traveled over the bridge en route to the nation’s capital, then New York City, for his presidential inauguration. In 2018 the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) completed a rehabilitation of the arched design to ensure its continuing viability.
The project included rebuilding the north spandrel wall, repointing stone masonry, and reconstructing parapet walls. Today, this oldest arch structure in the U.S. is still used by many travelers. PennDOT estimates that the stone arch bridge carries at least 14,000 vehicles a day with hundreds more either biking or walking over it.
The Pennypack Creek Bridge stands as a testament to the ingenuity and foresight of early American builders. It's a reminder of the crucial role infrastructure played in the development of the nation.