The Coles / Knoebels Covered Bridge

Today, the Lawrence Knoebel Covered Bridge, at Knoebels.

This bridge was originally located near Benton, in Columbia County.  Knoebels purchased it and had it moved to the park in 1937.  It was renamed the Lawrence Knoebel Bridge in a dedication ceremony in July of  1964

John R. Cole Covered Bridge, over West Creek on the west side of Benton along present-day SR239.  Named for the nearby Cole Farm.

A sign on the bridge identified it as being built in 1875, but most histories give the date as 1881.  

" It was built in 1881 by J.J. McHenry at a cost of $348. "

The bridge connected West Creek Road with SR239 and formed a “T” next to the former home of the John R. Cole farm. Because of the bridge’s location, it was identified as the John R. Cole Covered Bridge. 

1936

In 1936, state was rerouting the roads and planned to abandon two bridges - the Cold, enad the Brad Long Bridge.  Hartman and Lawrence L. Knoebel, owners of Knoebels Amusement Resort, purchased the Cole bridge for $40 .

1937, rebuilding the bridge at Knoebels

"When the road was re-located in 1936, the bridge was sold to Knoebels Groves and moved 50 miles to its present site the following year. Five men worked a week to dismantle bridge and transport it to Elysburg. After the foundations were placed, another week was required to rebuild the structure." - 1964 Newspaper

"The late Henry H. Knoebel, Sr., had expressed the wish that no paint be used on the bridge and that repairs be made in keeping with the original appearance.

 Wide boards were milled especially for the job, and when necessary, wooden shingles will replace the presepan roof." - 1964 newspaper

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1964 - Renamed 
The Lawrence Knoebel Bridge
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On Sunday July 12 1964, dedication ceremonies were held, and the bridge was renamed the Lawrence L. Knoebel Memorial bridge

A 1964 Press Release included:

Dedication ceremonies, in recognition of restoration of the bridge by the Knoebel family, will open with music by The Lancers, Lock Haven Drum and Bugle Corps. 

The Rev. Harold G. Williams, Jr., pastor of Elysburg Presbyterian Church, will offer the invocation.

 Greetings will be extended by Miss Grace K. Hackman, corresponding secretary of The Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society. Edwin M. Barton, president of Columbia County Historical Society will deliver the dedicatory address after which Mrs. Vera H. Wagner, president of the bridge society, will present a commemorative plaque to the Knoebel family."

"Mrs Vera H. Wagner presented a commemorative plaque to Mrs Henry H. Knoebel, and Mrs Lawrence L. Knoebel, representing the Knoebel family. " 

"The Rev. Williams will then pronounce the benediction."

Sign on the bridge: 

The Old Covered Bridge, Built 1875, West Creek, Columbia County ROAD Relocated Bridge  and moved 50 miles to present site, 1937

The Columbia County Covered Bridge page says:

"This bridge was originally constructed over West Creek, near Benton, Columbia County, in 1881 by J. J. McHenry at a cost of $348.00. In 1936 it was sold to H. H. Knoebel and Sons for $40.00."

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Stats - 40-foot-long (12 m) mod­i­fied Queen Post Truss bridge with a wood shin­gled roof. 

Herndon, Or Bowman, Covered Bridge

 
Herndon - County Bridge #69

Nelson F. Davis labeled this photo:  "Bridge 69 at the upper end of Herndon, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania., spanning Mahanoy Creek near its junction with the Susquehanna River."

"Bridge Letting. - SEALED proposals will be received at the Commissioner's office at Sunbury, Northumberland county, on SATURDAY, the 15th day of October, 1881, between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock a. m , for the erection of a covered bridge across Mahanoy creek at David Bohner's mill. Plans and specifications can be seen at said Commissioner's office in Sunbury. JOHN CLARK, E. W. CHAPIN, JNO. T. ALBRIGHT, Commissioners. Sept. 28, 1881."Northumberland County Democrat, October 21, 1881,

"...a mill was in operation on Mahanoy creek in this township as early as 1785. The site is a mile and a half north of Herndon, and the building, a dilapidated stone structure, is now owned by David Bohner. It was erected by Abraham McKinney." - Bell's History Of North'd County

This bridge was destroyed in the 1972 flood. It was not replaced.

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The Hufnagle Covered Walking Bridge

 
Hufnagle Memorial Covered Walking Bridge
North 6th Street, Lewisburg Pa

The Gordon A Hufnagle Memorial bridge is an single span built by two Bucknell University Students, in memory of a local hero who lost his life while attempting the rescue of Lewisburg citizens during the 1972 flood. 

Gordon Hufnagle was Lewisburg's chief of police from 1942 to 1970, and then he was promoted to borough safety officer.   On June 22, 1972  the rescue boat he was piloting capsized in the flood waters.

Hufnagle Park in Lewisburg is named for him, and there is a stone with a plaque on it in the park.

Lewisburg Mayor Lewis Hendricks proposed the idea of a bridge in honor of Hufnagle, to cross Bull Run creek for pedestrian traffic.  Bucknell engineering students Brian Hassinger, and Randy Cassidy, both needing a project for their civil engineering design class, offered to take on the project.

Hassinger was quoted as saying: "A lot of senior projects are just blueprints and calculations.  We decided to do a full scale project."

Money for the bridges construction came from the Hufnagle Memorial Fund.  The estimated cost was $35,000, but with massive support from local businesses, the total cost to the Hufnagle fund  was around $5,000.

The bridge, in a "town lattice" design, is a 46 foot single span covered bridge.   The design was patterned after the "first American Covered Bridge by Ithiel Town" - consisting of overlapping beams that resemble a cross crossed garden fence.

Although the first documented covered bridge in the US was erected in Philadelphia c. 1805, the  Ithiel Town  Lattice Truss bridge design is patented in 1820 in the United States, is often referred to as "the first truly American Covered Bridge." 

The roof of the bridge was covered in hand split cedar shingles.   A local furniture builder produced 1,100 trunnels [wooden pegs] used to fasten the beams together.

The span was also designed to "swing away from it's moorings and float parallel to the stream when the creek is high so as not to obstruct water flow."  Steel cables would hold the bridge parallel to the stream of water.

The students constructed it in a one and a half story corrugated steel building, and they had to tear a wall down to move the bridge out. 

 It took about four hours to complete the move and get the bridge in place.

Don Moyer's Crane Service helped to move the bridge, and place it in it's new location,  on Saturday January 16th 1982.  

The bridge was scheduled to leave the west area of Bucknell at 10am, proceed east on Moore Avenue, Loomis, and Walker Streets, north on University Avenue, and South Third Street, then west on Market.

"The footbridge, with its unique 'swing away' design for safety, was to be the focal point of Hufnagle park.

The dedication ceremony, sponsored by the Lewisburg police department, was held at 2:30pm, and reportedly, shingles were still being nailed on the bridge right up until the ribbon was cut.

More than 100 attended the dedication that day. The ribbon was cut by Blanche and Florence Hufnagle, widow and mother of Gordon. 

After the ribbon was cut, and christened with a bottle of champagne, wooden pegs like the ones used to hold the bridge together were distributed as souvenirs.  Hendricks and Cassidy autographed many of the pegs.

The Daily Item reported:

"The recreational area at North Sixth and Market Streets was dedicated to Hufnagle's Memory about a year ago.  The footbridge was placed over Bull Run in the park just before the start of Saturday's ceremony"

On September 3rd 1996, a film crew from the Japanese show Bridges Of the World filmed the bridge for a 4 minute segment on their prime time show, which was originally inspired by The Bridges of Madison County.

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Read more about Hufnagle here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2019/06/hufnagle-park.html

Keefer Station Covered Bridge

Keefers Station Covered Bridge

Located in Snydertown, Northumberland County Pa

It is a 109-foot-long (33 m), Burr Truss bridge, crossing Shamokin Creek.

The bridge was constructed in 1888 by George W. Keefer, at a cost of $882.  It was restored in 1986. 

Keefers Station Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979

Vandals kicked the siding off the bridge in 1990.

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George Frederick Keefer 1863-1941

Theodore Burr lived for a time in Northumberland County while overseeing the construction of a pair of bridges connecting Northumberland and Sunbury.

Nelson Fithian Davis 1872-1939

 
Dr Nelson Fithian Davis 1872-1939

I first came across the name Nathian Fithian Davis while researching the Sober Chestnut nursery. Davis was the author of the book Chestnut Culture, based primarily on the Sober Nursery.   Months later I was made aware of an archive of covered bridge photos from 1935 and 1936, by the same man. In researching him, I then learned he's also responsible for the collection at Old Main at Bucknell that perished in the fire - which almost certainly contained the mastodon tusk that had been discovered in Lewisburg in 1851.

Nelson Fithian Davis was born in New Jersey in 1872, the son of George and Anna Frances [Moore] Davis.  He studied at Cold Spring Harbor, the University of Chicago, John Hopkins, and Jefferson Medical College.  In 1891, he came to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, first as a student, then an assistant professor, and then the Professor of Biology, remaining at Bucknell for "some 43 years."

https://amzn.to/3ZA9fL8

On his 65th birthday, students and associates presented him with a privately printed volume of scientific articles which they had written in his honor.  "Contributors to the volume include some of the country's leading scientists, graduated of Bucknell."

The Fire at Old Main, Bucknell, 1932

"Dr. Davis built up one of the finest zoological collection in the country.  This collection store in the center section of Old Main, was completely destroyed by the fire in l931 and represented one of the major losses in the conflagration since it contained articles that cannot be replaced."

Sober Nursery, Largest In The World

Davis was a contemporary of Coleman K. Sober, and wrote the book on "Chestnut Culture", featuring Sobers work.  The two were often mentioned together in newspaper articles, appointed to committees and traveling to events together.

The Davis Photo Collection

In 1935 and 1936, Dr. Davis spend a great deal of time pursing an interest in photography, specifically "old wooden bridges".  His collection of Covered Bridge photographs can be found online at:

At the time of his death in 1939, he was survived by his 3rd wife Jessie [Palmer] Davis, and two children, Nelson F. Davis Jr, and Miss Frances M. Davis. He had been widowed twice, his first wife, Nellie Taylor, died in 1904, his second, Marion Briggs, in 1936. He married Jessie in 1937, two years before his death.

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Find an Index to More Local Biographies Here

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