Gudgeonville Covered Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gudgeonville Covered Bridge | |
| National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Official name: Gudgeonville Covered Bridge | |
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| County | Erie |
| Township | Girard |
| Road | Township 400 (single lane) |
| Crosses | Elk Creek |
| Coordinates | |
| Length | 84 ft (26 m) [1] |
| - Mainspan | 72 ft (22 m) [1] |
| Width | 14 ft (4 m) [1] |
| Clearance | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Builder | William Sherman |
| Design | Multiple King-post Truss |
| Material | Wood |
| Built | 1868 |
| - Rebuilt | 1870s |
| Owned and Maintained by | Girard Township |
| NBI Number | 257207040040080 |
| Load | 5 tons (4.5 t) [1] |
| Added to NRHP | 1980 [2] |
| NRHP Ref# | 80003491 |
  Location of the Gudgeonville Covered Bridge in Pennsylvania
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The Gudgeonville Covered Bridge is a 84-foot (25.6 m) long Multiple King-post Truss covered bridge over Elk Creek in Girard Township, Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was built in 1868 and was listed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1980.[2]
It is the oldest of the three remaining covered bridges in Erie County. The bridge structure's sufficiency rating on the National Bridge Inventory was only 15.4 percent and its condition was deemed "[b]asically intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action".[1]
Contents |
[edit] Name
The most likely orgin of the name was that it was taken from a now vanished community near where the bridge is located that was called "Gudgeonville. Although the source for the root,"gudgeon", is a mystery, it may have arose from the wagon part of the same name [3] or from the small fish and minnows in the creek below the bridge that are called gudgeons.[4] A popular explanation for the origin of the name is that the donkey that supposedly died on the bridge was named "Gudgeon."[5]
[edit] History
The Gudgeonville Bridge was constructed around 1868 and was rebuilt in the early 1870s after a fire. The bridge is located in Girard Township, Pennsylvania and crosses Elk Creek. The bridge was built and designed by William Sherman. The foundation of the bridge is believed to be remnants of the Erie Extension Canal.
[edit] Modern day
The bridge has been damaged from numerous small fires and has been the site of constant vandalism over the years.[6][7] There are several proposals to dismantle the bridge and move it to a more secure location where it would not be vandalized.[7] Another proposal is to build another bridge to bypass the original bridge, as it is too narrow to allow a variety of vehicles to cross it, including snowplows, fire trucks, and ambulances.[7]
[edit] Superstition
Superstition surrounds the bridge as locals believe the bridge to be haunted. The ghosts of children who have fallen off the cliff that flanks one side of the bridge are said to have been seen there.[3] The unexplained sound of hooves on wood coming from the bridge can sometimes be heard,[3] often accompanied by braying.[5] One story is that a donkey was beaten to death on the bridge by its drunken owner because it refused to cross the bridge.[3][5] Another story is that the donkey had a heart attack from being spooked by a calliope on a barge going beneath the bridge.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e National Bridge Inventory - 257207040040080. National Bridge Inventory (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ a b Pennsylvania - Erie County. National Register of Historical Places. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ a b c d Wincik, Stephanie [2002]. "Gudgeonville", Ghosts of Erie County, 18-21. ISBN 0-9725650-0-0.
- ^ Brown, George [1887] (1903). "Carp, Dice and Minnows", American Fishes (PDF), Boston: L. C. Page & Company, 421.
- ^ a b c d David Belmondo (Host). (2002). Boo! Tour Eerie Erie [Television production]. WQLN Productions.
- ^ McQuaid, Deborah. "Graffiti mars historic covered bridge", Erie Times-News, 2002-10-15. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ a b c Healy, Bob. "Public opinion spilt on bridge", Erie Times-News, 2006-01-11. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
