Banks Covered Bridge - Pennsylvania

Built in 1889, the Banks Covered Bridge is a Burr Arch truss designed covered bridge in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, spanning over the Neshannock Creek at a length of 129 feet. There aren't many covered bridges that dot the landscape in this corner of western Pennsylvania, but you'll often see local pedestrians, motor vehicles and Amish buggies using the Banks Covered Bridge to get across the creek on their way to places like New Castle, New Wilmington or Volant. The Burr Arch truss design is one that you will often see used for covered bridges throughout the Keystone State

The Banks Covered Bridge is in the heart of Amish country, so it is common to see an Amish horse and buggy on the way to or from the covered bridge. During the season premiere of the fourth season of The West Wing television series, this area of western Pennsylvania doubled as a rural area of Indiana, where President Jed Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen) kicked off his reelection campaign. A nearby farm was used as a set for a campaign trail speech, and the Banks Covered Bridge was featured in the episode.

In 1980, the Banks Covered Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historical significance. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1999 and again in 2021, at a cost of $440,000.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
Bridgehunter.com - Banks Covered Bridge 38-37-02
Pennsylvania Covered Bridges - Lawrence County
The Classy Chics - The Historic Banks Covered Bridge in New Wilmington
Pennsylvania & Beyond Travel Blog - The Historic Banks Covered Bridge in Lawrence County
New Castle News - Covered bridge to close for repairs

Interesting Pennsylvania and Beyond - Banks Covered Bridge and Neshannock Creek Adventures, Lawrence and Mercer Counties

Update Log:
November 9, 2021 - Crossposted from Quintessential Pennsylvania - Banks Covered Bridge (http://quintessentialpa.blogspot.com/2021/11/banks-covered-bridge.html)

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog