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Rohrbach , Columbia County

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Inventory Number: PA/38-19-31x
County: Columbia County
Township: Franklin
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Rohrbach
Crosses: Roaring Creek, South Branch
Truss type: Queen
Spans: 1
Length: 48' span, 64'-4" overall
Roadway Width: 14'-5"
Built: 1846
Builder: Joseph Fulton
When Lost: Oct 1986
Cause: Dismantled
Latitude: N40 54.022
Longitude: W076 30.697
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: Formerly on Krick Road (T369), presently stored at Knoebel's Grove Amusement Park.

Rohrbach Bridge, Columbia County, PA. Built 1846 Dismantled Oct 1986
Tom and Linda Burns Photo, September 8, 1985

Comments:
County # 24. Per The Columbia Democrat (Bloomsburg), June 16, 1838, "To Bridge Builders. - THE Commissioners of Columbia county will enter into contracts with the lowest and best bidders for building the following Bridges in said county as follows. A Bridge to be built across South branch of Roaring Creek, near Christian Hartley's, and will be let at the house of Samuel A Brady, in Catawissa, on Friday, the 29th day of June, inst. to be of the following dimensions and materials, to wit. Strong stone abutments and wing walls, surmounted with a wooden brace superstructure of 50 feet span, and to be covered with a shingle roof. The other Bridge to be built across Briar Creek, near Bowman's mill. It is proposed to take bids for building this Bridge on two plans, the Commissioners to have the right of selecting and building on either plan after the biddings are closed. First---for building a Stone Bridge with two arches, forty-five feet long between the abutments one about eighteen feet wide. Second---For building a Wooden Brace Bridge with stone abutments with sufficient wing walls. The superstructure to be forty-five feet long and to be covered with a shingle roof. The letting of this bridge will be on Saturday the 30th day of June inst. at Bowman's mills in Briar Creek township. It is proposed to close the receipt of proposals at 12 o'clock M on the respective days of the above lettings, IDDINGS BARCLAY, CORNELIUS CLACKNER, JOSEPH BROBST. Commissioners office Danville June 12, 1838." The bridge over the South Branch of Roaring Creek is assumed to refer to the crossing later named Rohrbach due to a number of Artley families living in the vicinity in 1860 (ref 1860 Cummings' Map of Columbia and Montour Counties) and the similar lengths involved. However, the 1838 crossing may have been at another location. Dismantled and in storage at Knoebel's Grove.

Sources:
The Columbia Democrat (Bloomsburg), June 16, 1838, p.3.
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, May 2006

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