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Gibson's or Harmony Hill, Chester County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

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Inventory Number: PA/38-15-10
County: Chester County
Township: East Bradford - West Bradford
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Gibson's or Harmony Hill
Crosses: East Branch Brandywine Creek
Truss type: Burr (Double)
Spans: 1
Length: 98'-3" overall, 77'-6" span
Roadway Width: 13'-8"
Built: 1872
Builder: Edward H. Hall & Thomas E. Schull
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N39 58.557
Longitude: W075 40.976
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 2.5 miles southeast of Business US30 and Downingtown on US322 (Brandywine Ave.) and just left on Harmony Hill Rd.

Gibson's or Harmony Hill Bridge, East Bradford-West Bradford, Chester County, PA. Built 1872
Jackson Betz Photo, March 2004

Gibson's or Harmony Hill Bridge, East Bradford-West Bradford, Chester County, PA. Built 1872
Bill Caswell Photo, April 21, 2012

Gibson's or Harmony Hill Bridge, East Bradford-West Bradford, Chester County, PA. Built 1872
Jenn Caswell Photo, May 2, 2015

Gibson or Harmony Hill Bridge, East Bradford-West Bradford, Chester County, PA. Built 1872
Todd Clark Collection

Comments:
Chester County #120. 10-panel truss. This is the only covered bridge remaining over the Brandywine Creek, or the East and West Branches. It had replaced a "small bridge" (James), built in 1870 by Thomas Doan for $969.00, which had been destroyed by a flood in 1871. Harmony Hill Road is only one way through the bridge heading west towards US322. The bridge was closed in 1999 due to extensive damage caused by a hurricane when the siding was torn from the bridge by a large tree that floated downstream. Per the Phoenixville Independent, April 11, 1884, the covered bridge was constructed by Hall & Schull. Per The Jeffersonian (West Chester), January 20, 1894, the covered bridge was built at a cost of $2,666 on Burr's patent with a 78 foot span.

Sources:
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges, 2001, page 73
Phoenixville Independent, April 11, 1884, p.4.
The Jeffersonian (West Chester), January 20, 1894, p.2.
Travis, Dale. Pennsylvania Covered Bridges List, updated to 26 Aug 2004, http://www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cbpa.htm (23 Sep 2004)
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, May 2007
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 105

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