Larkin Covered Bridge (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania) Explained

Larkin Covered Bridge
Coordinates:40.0822°N -75.6856°W
Built:1881 (original bridge 1854)
Builder:Wood, Menander & Ferdinand
Architecture:Burr truss
Added:December 10, 1980
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:80003458

The Larkin Covered Bridge is a 60adj=midNaNadj=mid, Burr truss wooden covered bridge that is located outside of Chester Springs, Chester County, Pennsylvania, near the village of Eagle. The bridge, which originally crossed over Marsh Creek, now spans a dry ditch and is a feature of the Upper Uwchlan Township trail system.

History

The original bridge was built in 1854 to span Marsh Creek, a tributary of the east branch of the Brandywine Creek, beside Jesse Larkin's Gristmill near the village of Milford Mills, southwest of its current location. The bridge was rebuilt in 1881.

In 1972, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the Larkin Bridge and relocated it to the north prior to the evacuation of Milford Mills and the creation of Marsh Creek Lake in Marsh Creek State Park. The bridge was used as a pedestrian crossing between two day camps in the new state park. Larkin Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

In 1998, Upper Uwchlan Township acquired the bridge, and in 2006, the township government worked with developers (Toll Brothers, Orleans and K. Hovnanian) to dismantle and relocate the bridge. Larkin Covered Bridge was rebuilt on the trail path next to the entrance to the Byers Station housing development on Graphite Mine Road near the village of Eagle.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania. ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archaeology. Searchable database. 2012-11-02. Note: This includes Web site: [{{NRHP-PA|H050740_01H.pdf}} National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Larkin Covered Bridge]. 2012-11-17. Susan M. Zacher. PDF. July 1980.