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Tunkhannock, Wyoming County

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Inventory Number: PA/38-66-01x
County: Wyoming County
Township: Eaton - Tunkhannock
Town/Village: Tunkhannock
Bridge Name: Tunkhannock
Crosses: North Branch Susquehanna River
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 4
Length: 810'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1857
Builder:
When Lost: Mar 1902
Cause:
Latitude: N41 32.09
Longitude: W075 56.91
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: In Tunkhannock on Route 29 (SR0029), which changes from Bridge Street to Joseph W. Hunter Highway when heading south across the bridge.

Tunkhannock Bridge, Easton-Tunkhannock, Wyoming County, PA Lost 1902
Todd Clark Collection

Comments:
16-panel truss. In Penn Pilot aerial photography dated to May 12, 1939, there is a four span wrought iron or steel through truss bridge, which may be standing on the original abutments and piers, oriented north to south. This has been replaced by the present bridge, scaling to about 860' on the Map 24 scale and about the same length. When comparing both aerial images, the new bridge is just downstream (east) from the old site, with the northern end slightly further away. An approximate 200 foot north to south section of North Eaton Road (SR3005 - LR65059) on the south side and paralleling the main road, is part of the old road. The road was marked as Route 309 on the 1941 Type 10 map. The coordinates are at the center of the old site. Per Tunkhannock River Bridge, Wyoming County Historical Society, December 19, 2015 (based on Elsie Shaughnessy, New Age newspaper, March 11, 1976), "The first means of crossing the river was by fording in the shallow places. Next came the ferry and in 1835 the Tunkhannock Bridge Company was formed. It took until 1854 (19 years) to obtain money and state aid to build the first bridge. It was to be a covered wooden structure, resting in stone piers, 810 feet long and 30 feet wide. The superstructure was destroyed by a gale in August of that year and the Bridge Company folded but reorganized the next year. The bridge was completed in 1857. This was a toll bridge and operated successfully for eight years, then an ice flow swept away two spans and a pier. It took three years to ready it again for use and seven years later it was damaged by another ice flood. It was repaired and to date had cost $45,000. (Pictures of the bridge and the flood of 1865 are in the Daughters of the American Revolution brochure of “old” Tunkhannock.) It was 27 years [later], in 1902, when it was destroyed by another flood and a new bridge was built. That was the base of the present one [1976]." Per the Wyoming Democrat (Tunkhannock), January 8, 1868, "Bridge Letting.-- --The contract for building pier, repairing ice breakers, and erecting superstructure of the river bridge, at this place, was awarded to Perry Marcy, he being the lowest and best bidder for the same. The plan finally adopted for the bridge is a single track (Burr improved) prepared by Chas. Kellog, architect and builder, of Wilkes Barre, Pa." Per The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre), March 13, 1902, "TUNKHANNOCK. -- The county bridge that spans the Susquehanna River at this point, the one that spans Tunkhannock Creek at Dixon and the one at Nicholson having been destroyed by the recent high water and ice, the county commissioners asked the court of Dauphin County to appoint a commission to view the same. The same viewers have been appointed for each bridge and are as follows: A. G. Gregory and Asa S. Keeler of Wyoming County, Hon. Lewis Piollet, Bradford; Hon. Charles D. Foster, Lucerne; Charles N. Cooke, Luzerne County, engineer. There are three views: First, river bridge, second, Dixon bridge; third, Nicholson bridge. For the Tunkhannock and Dixon bridges the viewers will meet at the Tunkhannock bridge at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 27, and for the Nicholson bridge they will meet at the Niver House at Nicholson on Friday, March 28, at 2 p. m. The report of the viewers will be filed in the court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County at Harrisburg. Pa., on April 7, 1902." Based on an early carte de visite of a sketch, the bridge at this location was partially destroyed in the flood of March 18, 1865, with the center spans removed by the flood. That bridge was double barrel and appeared to be a Burr Truss and had a fancy toll gate house one had to pass through.

Sources:
The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre), March 13, 1902.
Wyoming Democrat (Tunkhannock), January 8, 1868.
Tunkhannock River Bridge, Wyoming County Historical Society, December 19, 2015.
Moll, Fred J.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges - Our Heritage, 2004, pages 138-139
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, December 2007

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