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Bailey, Washington County

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

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: PA/38-63-08
County: Washington County
Township: Amwell
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Bailey
Crosses: Tenmile Creek or North Fork of Tenmile Creek
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 1
Length: 66' span, 71' overall
Roadway Width: 15'
Built: 1889
Builder:
When Lost: 24 Jul 1994
Cause: Arson
Latitude: N40 01.24
Longitude: W080 11.74
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 1.4 miles south of main intersection in Amity on US19, then 0.5 miles left on CR2020 and 0.2 miles right on TR636. South-southeast of Amity.

Bailey Bridge, Amwell, Washington County, PA. Built 1999
© Lisa Plamondon

Comments:
At the time of its destruction by fire on July 24, 1994, this was the last Burr Truss covered bridge left in the county. It had an overall length of 71', a span of 66' and a 15' roadway. A covered bridge booklet put out by the Washington County Planning Commission states the following about the pre-1994 bridge: "The Bailey Bridge, situated over Ten Mile Creek, is the last Burr Arch covered bridge still standing in Washington County. Merle Smith, from Marianna, PA says that the Bailey Brothers, who owned the property, contracted his great grandfather, Daniel Smith, to build it in 1889. On July 24, 1994, someone left a truck in the middle of Bailey Bridge and set it on fire. The arson left the bridge impassable and the Shipe family, who lived at the end of the road on the other side of the bridge, stranded. This road originally connected to Amity Ridge Road (Route 19) further south, but the lower portion had been abandoned. The following Monday, the county bridge crew sent 15 employees who worked for 13 hours to repair the deck and make the bridge passable. Seventy-four 300lb planks were used to make the repairs. In 1998, it was replaced by a new covered bridge, an exact replica of the original.

Source:
Travis, Dale. Pennsylvania Covered Bridges List, updated to 26 Aug 2004, http://www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cbpa.htm (23 Sep 2004)

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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