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Henry Hollingshead's Mill or Breisch, Columbia County

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Inventory Number: PA/38-19-34#2
County: Columbia County
Township: Catawissa
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Henry Hollingshead's Mill or Breisch
Crosses: Catawissa Creek
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 1
Length: 117', 116'-10" overall, 100' span
Roadway Width: 15'-4"
Built: 1904
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N40 57.112
Longitude: W076 26.863
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.5 miles south of jct PA487 on PA42/487, then 0.6 miles left on Mountain Rd. and just left on Old Reading Rd. 1 mile north of Knoebels Grove Park.

Hollingshead Bridge, Catawissa, Columbia County, PA. Built 1904
Bill Caswell Photo, October 10, 2010

Hollingshead Bridge, Catawissa, Columbia County, PA Built 1904
Bill & Jenn Caswell Photo, February 1, 2026

Comments:
County #40. The existing bridge has a 10-panel truss. Also known as Henry Hollingshead's Mill Bridge. The first bridge cost $1180.00. Per The Star of the North (Bloomsburg), September 5, 1850, "Bridge Letting. - Proposals will be received by the County Commissioners on Tuesday, the 10th day of September, A.D. 1850, between the hours of 12 and 3 o'clock, P.M., a the Mill of J. N. Jones in Fishingcreek township, for building An Arch Bridge, over Huntington Creek, of the following dimensions, to wit: Length 80 feet between abutments, width 18 feet from out to out, abutments 14 feet high, from low water mark. Proposals will also be received on Wednesday, the 11th day of the same month, between the hours of 12 and 3 o'clock, P.M. at the Furnace of Fincher & Thomas, in Cattawissa Township, for building An Arch Bridge, over Cattawissa creek, of the following dimensions to wit: Length 100 feet between abutments, Width 18 feet from out to out, abutments 15 feet high frow [from low] water mark. Plans and specifications to be seen on day of letting. By order of the County Commissioners. WESLEY ROAT, Clerk. COMM'S OFFICE, Bloomsburg, Aug. 23, 1850. " Per the Miltonian (Milton), March 25, 1904, "Following is the list of bridges that were destroyed by floods, together with the estimated cost of their construction: Berwick bridge [38-19-85/38-40-02], six spans, $100,000 ; three spans of the Mifflinville bridge, material recovered, loss $10,000; Long Hollow bridge over Catawissa creek [38-19-103], $15,000; two spans of Catawissa bridge, loss $40,000; Shuman's bridge over Catawissa creek [38-19-101], $12,000; Breisch bridge over Catawissa creek [38-19-34], $15,000; double track bridge at Catawissa paper mill [38-19-66], $20,000; single track bridge over Catawissa creek [38-19-108], $15,000.

Sources:
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges, 2001, page 101
Miltonian (Milton), March 25, 1904.
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 2006
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 110

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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