How to fix a 191-year-old Bucks County covered bridge. Carefully and with lots of money

JD Mullane, Bucks County Courier Times
·4 min read

There are few things lovelier about Bucks County than its iconic covered bridges.

As late as 1919, an inventory showed there were 51, many along the Neshaminy Creek. Today, there are just 12 of the wood beauties, and all require high maintenance.

Today, the one in need of repair most is in Perkasie. It was knocked from its stone foundations in the summer of 2021 by floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Though the bridge once spanned the Pleasant Spring Creek, it now sits on grass in the borough's Lenape Park.

South Perkasie Covered Bridge in Perkasie remains standing, on Thursday, September 2, 2021, after being knocked off its abutments during Tropical Depression Ida which caused flash flooding throughout the area on Wednesday.
South Perkasie Covered Bridge in Perkasie remains standing, on Thursday, September 2, 2021, after being knocked off its abutments during Tropical Depression Ida which caused flash flooding throughout the area on Wednesday.

South Perkasie Covered Bridge damaged in Ida

In September 2021, the powerful storm dumped about eight inches of rain on the area, and floodwaters from the Pleasant Spring Creek combined with the east branch of the Perkiomen Creek to create a 100-year flood, said R. Scott Bomboy, president of the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society, and author of "Wooden Treasures: The Story of Bucks County's Covered Bridges."

Floodwaters lifted the bridge from its stone abutments and it floated 15 feet north, settling at an angle.

“It had some issues before in that even before Ida it was leaning towards the south side,” he said.

Repairs needed to South Perkasie Covered Bridge

Because covered bridges are high-maintenance antiques, the cost to fix them is high. Pre-flood, some $120,000 had been raised locally for repairs. But Ida damaged the bridge extensively, escalating costs.

Fortunately, the bridge has many friends.

Among them is Arnold Graton, the country's top expert on covered bridge construction and preservation. He traveled from his home in New Hampshire to oversee resetting the bridge on a temporary crib.

"Arnold's done a hundred covered bridges," Bomboy said. "And when they placed it on the (temporary) crib, the bridge was perfectly straight, so we're not worried about having to repair the (interior) lattice work."

The main upgrade will be new, longer stone abutments, so the bridge will be about 4 feet higher off the ground to keep ground moisture from rotting the structure. Boards will be replaced and a coat of fireproofing paint will be added.

Currently, there is about $700,000 between federal, state and local money aimed at restoring the bridge, the bulk, some $400,000, from the feds.

After traffic congestion made the Perkasie covered bridge obsolete, it was set for demolition. But the borough historic society saved it by having it moved a mile in August 1958 to Lenape Park, where it remains today.
After traffic congestion made the Perkasie covered bridge obsolete, it was set for demolition. But the borough historic society saved it by having it moved a mile in August 1958 to Lenape Park, where it remains today.

How did South Perkasie Covered Bridge land at Lenape Park?

From 1832, when it was built, through the 1950s, the bridge spanned the Pleasant Spring Creek. It was just another of Bucks County's many covered bridges until the 1930s, when US Gauge of Sellersville became the third largest employer in the county.

“It caused problems with traffic because … you had to wait for someone to go through it, and it jammed the intersection,” Bomboy said.

In the late 1950s, Perkasie Borough asked the county for a new bridge. The county commissioners said OK, but gave the town a year to figure out what to do with the old bridge. The Historic Society of Perkasie suggested the bridge be moved to Lenape Park, about a mile away, where it would be preserved. It raised $3,000 for the move.

“Basically, the Perkasie (covered) bridge was put on a pair of forklifts and moved down Main Street,” Bomboy said,

A year later, ownership of the bridge was transferred to the borough, which still owns it.

Why are covered bridges covered?

This is the most-asked question about these unique structures, and answers range from keeping horses calm when crossing water, to convenient shelter for travelers caught in a storm, to they simply beautiful and evocative of a different era.

But the reason is practicality.

Cool bridge tour Take a seat in the theater and a Jeep. Bucks County Playhouse offers covered bridge tours

The sign affixed to the Perkasie covered bridge, built in 1832, Buks County.
The sign affixed to the Perkasie covered bridge, built in 1832, Buks County.
The Perkasie covered bridge in Lenape Park, in the borough. Floodwaters from Hurricane Ida knocked it from its stone abutments in late summer 2021, moving it approximately 15 feet from where it sat since 1958.
The Perkasie covered bridge in Lenape Park, in the borough. Floodwaters from Hurricane Ida knocked it from its stone abutments in late summer 2021, moving it approximately 15 feet from where it sat since 1958.

“The selling point for these bridges was that if you cover it, the deck will last seven times longer,” Bomboy said.

So while generations of Bucks County school kids and young people may have loved the bridges as convenient covers for skipping school or hanky-panky, "it was really to save money on repairs," he said.

When will repairs be done?

Finding a firm to do the work could take six months, Bomboy said. Bids are required for the timber and abutments. The earliest work would commence is July 2024, completed by Sept. 2024.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Saving one of Bucks County's iconic covered bridges in Perkasie