Cope's Bridge Explained

Cope's Bridge
Nearest City:Marshallton, Pennsylvania
Built:1807
Architecture:Stone arch bridge
Added:March 7, 1985
Refnum:85000465

Cope's Bridge is a stone arch bridge that carries Strasburg Road (Pennsylvania Route 162) across the East Branch Brandywine Creek in East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located within the Taylor–Cope Historic District.

Before the construction of a bridge at this location, the site was known as Taylor's Ford. The original bridge at the site was probably timber, built about 1770, and funded by subscription. This was replaced by another wooden bridge in 1789. A petition to the Court of Chester County in 1804 complained of the decay of the bridge, and asked the county to erect a stone bridge instead. The bridge was built in 1807 and cost $26,911.03.[1] [2] It continues to carry traffic today.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Davidson . Jane . 1984 . [{{NRHP-PA|H067783_01H.pdf}} NRHP Nomination Form for Cope's Bridge].
  2. Web site: Cope's Bridge (Brandywine Bridge) . Anderson . Bart . September 17, 1963 . . Library of Congress . Washington, D.C. . October 22, 2023 . 2–3.
  3. Book: MacElree, Wilmer W. . Wilmer W. MacElree . [{{Google books |d39BAAAAYAAJ |pg=PA144 |plainurl=yes}} Down the Eastern and Up the Black Brandywine ]. 1906 . F. S. Hickman . West Chester, Pa. . 144–149.