Bridge in Cumberland Township
Cunningham Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Cunningham Bridge in 1982 | |
| Coordinates | 39°45′27″N 77°17′6″W / 39.75750°N 77.28500°W |
| Carries | Cunningham Road |
| Crosses | Marsh Creek |
| Locale | Greenmount, Adams County, PA |
| Maintained by | PennDOT |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | mainspan is the "first example" of a Baltimore truss[1]: 2002 |
| Total length | 256 feet (78 m) |
| Width | 13 feet, 8 inches |
| Load limit | 3 tons |
| Clearance above | 11 feet, 7 inches |
| History | |
| Closed | 1990 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Cunningham Bridge | |
Bridge in Cumberland Township | |
  | |
| Area | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) |
|---|---|
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Nelson & Buchanon[citation needed] |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000866[2] |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1988 |
The Cunningham Bridge[1] is an historic place on the national register in Adams County, Pennsylvania, near Greenmount, Pennsylvania, United States. The three-section iron bridge spans west-to-east from Franklin Township to Cumberland Township and is the oldest example of a Baltimore truss.[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Bridge in Cumberland Township" in 1988 despite being in Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania.[2][3]
Chronology
- 1894 — The Pittsburgh Bridge Company[4] (Nelson & Buchanon Engrs. & Contrs,[2] agents) built the bridge 0.5 mile west of the Greenmount.
- 1986 — A $138,512 upgrade began for the bridge.[1]
- 1990 — The bridge was closed indefinitely.[1]
- 1996 — After having been struck by a motorist in the Spring,[5] the Cunningham Bridge survived a 500 year flood on June 19 that washed away the wooden Sachs Covered Bridge (upstream) and the iron 1886 Rothhaupt Bridge (downstream).[4]
- 1997 — A 1997 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) study recommended replacing the entire bridge, and the Adams County Citizens Alliance held a meeting on April 8 regarding the bridge.[5]
- 2000 — PennDOT planned to demolish the Cunningham Bridge.[1]
- 2002 — A resolution by the county commissioners was for "every effort should be made to keep the bridge at its current location [and] preserve as much historic detail as possible."[1]
- 2011 — The bridge was slated for demolition in 2011.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Cunningham Bridge" (Google News Archive listing). Gettysburg Times. Times and News Publishing Company. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- 1986: Fresch, Bill (March 7, 1986). "Replacement of two bridges to begin Monday". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- 1990: "Cunningham Road closed for bridge work". Gettysburg Times. June 21, 1990. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- 2000: Brownley, Debra (October 19, 2000). "Commissioners make decision on old bridge".
- 2002: Messeder, John (January 3, 2002). "Commissioners … seek to preserve historic bridge". Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- 2004: "What to do about Cunningham Bridge?". April 9, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- 2005: "Cunningham Bridge Closed". June 9, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
… built in 1894, has a clearance of only 11 feet-7 inches, and has been posted at three tons maximum load.
- 2007: "Cunningham Bridge meeting tonight". May 22, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
… built in 1884 … carried less than 200 vehicles on a daily basis. The total length of the structure is 256 feet. The width of the bridge is 13 feet 8 inches.
- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Patricia A. Remy (July 1982). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania MPS Bridge in Cumberland Township. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 7, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
- ^ a b "Adams County". BridgeHunter.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ a b Burger, T.W. (August 18, 1996). "Adams County Historical Society". Evening Sun.
