Smith's Bridge
Isaac Smith operated a flour mill, saw mill, and cider press near the Brandywine just south of the Pennsylvania and Delaware border. Isaac's son Edward Smith took over the mill after the death of his father. In 1839 a single lane covered bridge was built across the Brandywine near the mill. Smith's Bridge as it was called was 143 feet in length comprised of 3 spans. The wooden roadway was 15 feet in width. In 1956 the aging structure was reinforced with steel beams and additional piers were added. The covered bridge carried vehicle traffic until October of 1961 when it was burned by arsonists. By 1962 an open deck wooden bridge was built at the location. That bridge stood until a reproduction wooden covered bridge in the character of the original was built in 2002. The new bridge contains Burr trusses like the original design but has a steel reinforced road deck to handle the loads of modern traffic. Exit the parking area and turn left and proceed north to the stop sign. Turn left onto Smith Bridge Road and cross the covered bridge and proceed west.
Pyle’s Twin Bridges
Pyle's Ford was located about two miles south of Chadd's Ford where today's Route 100 crosses the Brandywine Creek. It was named for the Pyle family who were large land owners on the Pennsbury Township side of the creek. The ford was the route the Continental Army took enroute to defend Chadd's Ford in September of 1777. Several decades later a covered bridge was constructed connecting Pennsbury Township, Chester County to the west with Birmingham Township, Delaware County to the east. By 1854 a contract was let to rebuild the covered bridge over the Brandywine at this location. In 1855 a second contract was let to build a companion bridge to the east across the flood plain to serve as a flood bridge. Together the structures would be called Pyle's Twin Bridges and would have a combined span of 320 feet with a roadway width of 20 feet. William Gamble from Brandywine Summit, Delaware County did the carpentry work and Nathan Jester from Dilworthtown, Chester County did the masonry work. By the early 1920's the bridges were no longer structurally safe to handle increasing automobile and truck traffic. In addition, the Wilmington and Northern Railroad passed just to the west and there was danger of fire and traffic collisions with vehicles exiting the bridge. In 1924 the bridges were demolished and replaced with a modern concrete open deck multi-span bridge in the same location. The railroad would pass under the new elevated bridge. The 1924 bridge is still in use today but is in a deteriorated state unable to be rehabilitated to meet current standards and is planned for replacement by PennDOT. In 2017 the bridges and 2,000 adjacent acres were established as the Twin Bridges Rural Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Proceed north on Route 100 towards Chadds Ford.
Chadds Ford Bridges
Chads' Ford was named for John Chads who ran a small ferry business in the early 18th century here along the Brandywine Creek. The restored Chads house still stands along Creek Road and is a living history museum run by the Chadds Ford Historical Society. The current village is an area along the Brandywine Creek encompassed by Delaware County on the east bank and Chester County on the west bank. The area is famous for the Battle of Brandywine that took place in the area on September 11, 1777. General Washington's Continental Army fortified the hills above the Brandywine at Chads' Ford in anticipation of the advancing British Army which was likely to pass through traveling down the Nottingham Road on their march to Philadelphia. The story of the evolution of the bridges crossing the Brandywine Creek at Chadd's Ford starts back in 1828. A Burr arch type wooden covered bridge was first built at the site of the former ford. In 1860 the original bridge was taken down and reassembled at the same location by William Gamble who did the wood work and Nathan Jester who did the stone work. The 1860 bridge had a 151 foot span and an overall length of 176 feet with a 22 foot wide roadway. Like many wooden bridges of the time it required frequent repairs from both stone masons and carpenters. In 1920 the covered bridge was demolished and replaced by a two span concrete arch bridge. The location of the bridge was slightly upstream from the location of the former covered bridge. The western approach was along what is now called Fairville Road. A small approach bridge crossed the mill race for Hoffman's Mill and the concrete arch bridge spanned the Brandywine Creek. In 1938 with the widening of Baltimore Pike, a new open span steel and concrete bridge was built slightly upstream from the 1920 bridge. The former concrete arch bridge was demolished. In the 1970's the former approaching roadway location became part of the parking area of the Brandywine River Museum of Art. Proceed straight back down the parking area to Hoffmans Mill Road and back track to Station Way Road. Follow signs for Route 1 south.
Brinton’s Bridge
Brinton's Ford was located one mile north of Chadds Ford and saw action as a point of defense by the Continental Army in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. Brinton's Bridge, a covered wooden structure one hundred and forty-five feet in length, was built in 1845 at Brinton's Ford by Robert Russell. The stone for the bridge foundation was likely quarried on the hillside to the left. This new bridge gave farmers in Pennsbury Township easy access to Brinton's Flour Mill on the east side of the Brandywine. Extensive improvements were made in 1918, and in 1937 the bridge became the property of the state. Increased traffic, both car and truck, took its toll on the bridge as did Hurricane Hazel in 1956 when the roof was destroyed. The roof was replaced, but the structure was not re-trussed; and in July 1957 a driver ignored the two-ton weight limitation. The resulting damage necessitated the closing of the bridge to all traffic. The question of rebuilding was answered early in the morning of September 19, 1957 when a fire, believed to be of incendiary origin, destroyed the familiar landmark. Today only the stone abutments survive on each side of the Brandywine. The restored Brinton's Mill is the home of the Wyeth family and is now a private road. Proceed north on Brinton's Bridge Road to Pocopson Road.
Pocopson Creek Bridge
Located at the bottom of the hill the Pocopson Creek Bridge spanned the creek of the same name. Built around 1872 by brothers Menander (carpenter) and Ferdinand Wood (mason) it was likely a King Post type bridge with a relatively short span of 50 feet. The Wood brothers built at least 20 bridges together in Chester County and about 50 more individually with other contractors. The bridge connected Pocopson Township to the east with Pennsbury Township to the west on Street Road. When the bridge was originally built Denton Hollow road connected to Street Road at the bridge's eastern approach. That early road carried travelers north to Denton's Mill, a woolen factory, and church in Denton Hollow. Straight ahead across Street Road once stood a cotton mill on the western bank of the Pocopson Creek. The mill was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning in the late 1870's and was never rebuilt. Early photographs of Street Road are easily identified by the utility poles on either side of the roadway. These poles carried the telegraph lines as well as early electrical power. The covered bridge was replaced in the 1930's with an open deck steel and concrete bridge on the original stone foundations. That bridge deck was replaced in the late 1970's also using the original stone foundations. In 1999 that bridge was replaced with a new concrete and steel bridge and the roadway was elevated on the western approach to the bridge as part of the Route 926 modifications between Parkersville and Pocopson. The roadwork improvements were part of a larger project concurrent with the construction of the Pocopson Elementary School on the former Pratt farm. Proceed to the stop sign and turn right onto Route 926 and travel east.
Painter’s Bridge
Jones' Ford was located about two miles north of Brinton's Ford and was a crossing that was guarded by Continental troops on September 11, 1777. Built in 1857 at the site of the earlier Jones' Ford, Painter's Bridge spanned the Brandywine Creek on Street Road (current Route 926). The bridge connected Birmingham Township to the east with Pocopson Township to the west and was named for the Painter family that had large landholdings on each side of the Brandywine. The covered bridge was a Burr arch type with an overall span of 184 feet with a roadway width of 14 feet 7 inches. The bridge was built by Nathan Jester and William Gamble. Painter's Bridge was elevated well above the waters of the Brandywine Creek but the approaches were in the lowlands of the flood plain which closed the roadway in periods of extreme flooding. In winter months during floods, ice sheets would float downstream from Lenape and cross Street Road causing additional hazard. In 1902 the Supervisors of Pocopson Township commissioned stone piers be built connected with large timbers to break the ice flows. Suspended from the timbers were gates that alowed debris to pass through without clogging up the flow. In the dry periods these gates would serve to restrain the dairy cattle that were grazing on the Brandywine meadow. By 1937 the bridge had fallen into disrepair and the state replaced the aged wooden structure with an open four-span steel and concrete bridge on the stone abutments and piers from the original covered bridge. The steel I-beam structure was 190 feet long and 26 feet wide. The four-span bridge was rehabilitated in 1974. Before it closed in 2017 for replacement,the bridge was posted with a weight restriction of 26 tons and carried approximately 13,200 vehicles a day. In 2017 PennDOT replaced the 79-year-old bridge with a new three-span structure built at a higher elevation and rebuilt and raised 1,700 feet of the roadway approaches to make them less prone to flooding. As part of the project the nearby culvert over the Radley Run Creek was replaced with an 84-foot twin arch concrete culvert; and realigned 800 feet of Creek Road at its northern intersection with Route 926 (Street Road). The new, aesthetically designed bridge resembles the 1937 bridge and has stone form liners covering the piers and includes an open, higher railing. Carefully re-enter Creek Road and head north.
Sager’s Bridge and Lenape Flood Bridge
The area below the confluence of the east and west branches of the Brandywine Creek was referred to as Shunk's Ford at the time of the American Revolution. The location was guarded by Continental troops on September 11, 1777. Many years after the Battle of Brandywine an open deck wooden bridge was constructed at the location of the ford and the name of the area was changed to Wistar's Bridge, named after the family who owned the farmland to the west of the Brandywine at that location. This bridge connected Birmingham Township to the east with Pocopson Township to the west. In 1855 John Sager bought the existing multi-story stone grist mill on the land east of the bridge. In 1856 a new covered bridge was constructed replacing the former open deck bridge. This covered bridge, referred to as Sager's Bridge, was built by Jackson Kimble and John L. Wiley. It had a span of 150 feet and a roadway width of 12 feet 6 inches. This was the only bridge the duo built in Chester County. In 1870 the Wilmington and Reading Railroad (later Wilmington and Northern) was built on the western bank of the Brandywine near the Pocopson Township approach to Sager's Bridge. The first railroad station was named Sager's Station. Within months the local residents petitioned to have a US Post Office located at the new railroad stop. After much back and forth with the federal government the name Lenape was chosen which was the name of the Indian tribe that had settled the surrounding area centuries earlier. The names of the bridge, railroad station, and US Post office were all changed to Lenape. In 1892 the covered bridge was demolished and replaced with an open deck wooden bridge that allowed the newly formed West Chester Street Railway Company to cross their trolley car over the Brandywine Creek to the station along the railroad. Due to flooding at Lenape the roadway was frequently closed when access to the approaches was impassable. Likewise the Brandywine was frequently impassable at most covered bridge locations between Wilmington and Downingtown during extreme flooding. In 1912 the Commissioners of Chester County appropriated money for the fabrication of a flood bridge at Lenape to span the flood plain between the existing wooden bridge and Creek Road to the east. This flood bridge would allow for travel between West Chester and points west in times of flooding when the other crossings were impassable. To make way for the new flood bridge the abandoned Sager's Mill was demolished. The stones from that structure and another mill structure demolished near West Chester provided the materials for the new masonry bridge. The seven arched stone flood bridge was completed in 1912 and refurbished in the 1980's. The roadway was resurfaced in 2016 in preparation of the detoured traffic coming from the bridge replacement at Pocopson on Street Road. Re-enter Creek Road and travel north to the stop sign at the end of the stone bridge.
Shaw’s Bridge
The area to the left, Buffington's Ford was an early 18th century crossing point on the east branch of the Brandywine Creek within Bradford Township. The ford was named for the Buffington family who owned land in the area. On September 11, 1777 Conitinental forces guarded this location against a potential flanking maneuver by the British. By 1862 Francis and William Shaw had purchashed the former Buffington farm west of the ford. A covered bridge was constructed by Nathan Yester at the site of the former ford and the new structure would be know as Shaw's Bridge. It was 100 feet in length with a 16 foot wide roadway. The bridge was built in a difficult loaction and by 1927 the weakened narrow bridge was in a compromised condition. Arsonists burned the covered bridge in 1953 and a new 258 foot steel and concrete replacement was constructed by the state. Proceed north on Route 842 and turn left onto North Creek Road.
Jefferis Bridge
Jefferis Ford was named after the Jefferis family who owned the farm to the west of the creek in the 18th century. The ford would become famous on September 11, 1777 as 8,000 British soldiers under the command of Sir William Howe and Lord Cornwallis proceeded across the Brandywine Creek on their flanking march towards the Continental Army's position near Chadds Ford several miles downstream. In 1862 a covered bridge would be built at the location of the ford. Jefferis Bridge was built by Joseph Elliot of Unionville. The structure had a 104 foot span with a roadway width of 16 feet. The public road crossed the covered bridge until 1953 when arsonists burned the wooden structure, which was the second oldest covered bridge left in Chester County at the time. Soon after the bridge was burned a 100 foot iron truss bridge was relocated to the site from an abandoned road in West Marlborough Township over the Doe Run. The iron bridge was originally built to service the mill town of Palmer which was north of the village of Doe Run. Proceed west and follow Allerton Road.
Seed’s Bridge
The second covered bridge in what would become Pocopson Township was built in 1834 across the west branch of the Brandywine Creek in conjunction with a road building project that would connect West Chester, PA to the Maryland state line near present day Fair Hill, MD. This road, originally called State Road, would eventually be known as Route 842. Up until this time local travelers had to take other routes to cross the Brandywine Creek. Trimble's Ford was the nearest crossing point to the north and Wistar's Ford was the nearest crossing point to the south. Seeds' Bridge, as the new covered bridge would be called, was a 3 span Burr arch bridge with a length of 270 feet with a roadway width of 15 feet and was the longest covered bridge in Chester County. It was built by Wilson Buffington of Unionville. The bridge took it's name from George and Emmor Seeds which owned several hundred acres of farmland nearby and were among several farmers who petitioned for the bridge. At the time of it's construction the bridge was within West Bradford township. After 1849 the bridge was located completely within Pocopson Township. When the Wilmington and Reading Railroad (later known as the Wilmington and Northern) established a railroad stop near the southern approach to the bridge in 1874, the area would come to be to known as Wawaset. The covered bridge would be replaced by an open span concrete and steel bridge in 1932 using the original stone foundations. That bridge was replaced in the 1990's with an open span concrete and steel bridge on new concrete foundations. Carefully re-enter Route 842 and travel west.
Marshall’s Bridge
The first covered bridge in Chester County spanned the west branch of the Brandywine Creek in present day Northbrook. In 1807 when the bridge was constructed this area was part of West Bradford Township. Marshall's Bridge, as it would be called, was a Burr arch type bridge with a span of 98 feet and a roadway width of 16 feet. The bridge took it's name from the Marshall family who had settled the surrounding area from an original William Penn land grant. The bridge was initially constructed to allow for safe passage from the northern bank of the Brandwine Creek to Marshall's Mill beyond the southern bank of the creek. Up until the construction of the bridge, the Brandywine had to be forded downstream about 1/2 mile at Trimble's Ford. From the ford an early road (present day Brag Hill Road) carried travelers along the high ground and eventually down to the mill. With the new bridge a road between Marshallton to the north was connected to the industry on the south end of the bridge. That road (present day Northbrook Road) would be extended to the south into the fertile farm valley between present day Unionville and the Locust Grove area. In 1870 the Wilmington and Reading Railroad (later Wilmington and Northern) was constructed near the southern bank of the Brandywine in the area with a new railroad stop named Marshall's Station. By 1871 a US Post Office was set up at the railroad stop and the name for the area was changed to Northbrook. Marshall's Bridge stood until 1954, although it had been rebuilt several times due to storm and flood damage over it's 147 year duration. In the last decade of the covered bridge there was a weight restriction imposed on crossing traffic. In 1954 the covered bridge was replaced by the current open deck steel bridge, built on the original stone foundations. Throughout the history of bridges at that location the low lying area floods closing the roadway. The unfortunate fact that the stone approaches and raised one lane bridge deck block visibility of oncoming traffic has forced local residents to adapt by checking for approaching vehicles by looking across the flood plain on Northbrook Road before entering the bridge. This allows the current driver to realize a problem that our ancestors had accessing most bridges in the 19th century, albeit at a much slower rate of travel with horse and wagon. Turn onto Northbrook Road and cross the bridge and make the first left turn onto Brandywine Drive. Be careful of oncoming traffic as you enter the bridge.
Glen Hall Bridge
One and a half miles upstream from Northbrook there was once a railroad station was named Halls. The surrounding area was owned by the Hall family who were extensive landowners and well known farmers in that locality. Ezra Hall owned the property adjacent to the railroad and Brandywine Creek which also was the site of a saw and feed mill. Inside of the railroad station there was a small US Post Office known as Glen Hall. Today's Glen Hall Road, just west of Barnard's Orchards used to be a through road crossing the western branch of the Brandywine at the Glen Hall Bridge. This bridge connected to Brandywine Drive north of the Brandywine. That road connects Route 162 upstream and to Northbrook Road downstream. The first bridge at Glen Hall was an185 foot Ohio Iron Bridge built in 1868 by Ezra Hall and Thomas Schull. Not typical of the times the iron bridge was replaced by a wooden covered bridge in 1881. Typically wooden bridges were replaced by iron structures but in parts of Chester County wooden bridges were built until the late 19th century. The Glen Hall Bridge was a two span Burr arch type bridge built by brothers Ferdinand and Menander Wood for $3,400. Reuben Pearson did the stonework for the bridge for $988.The bridge had 3 inch white oak planks for the road decking. In the later years of the bridge a 3 ton weight restriction was placed on the structure. When school buses came to the bridge the children had to get off and walk across. The empty bus would follow and the children re-entered the bus. In 1962 the wooden bridge burned, not to be rebuilt. Glen Hall Road then became the dead end road that it is today. Today the area where the bridge and railroad station stood is part of the ChesLen Preserve. The bridge foundation can still be seen from Brandywine Drive. Continue on Brandywine Drive until you reach Route 162.
Corcoran’s Bridge
To the south side of Route 162 Corcoran’s Bridge spans the western branch of the Brandywine Creek about 1/2 mile downstream from the village of Embreeville. The 144 foot stone arch bridge was constructed by the Corcoran Construction Company in 1908 and is the oldest representation of this type of bridge which saw a resurgence in Chester County between 1908 and 1919. The bridge has two large main arches spanning the Brandywine and 2 smaller arches spanning the adjacent flood plain to allow for additional drainage during flooding. The road surface is flanked on each side with fieldstone parapet walls with flagstone coping. The bridge was originally constructed to allow passage to the farmland that was once part of the Embreeville State Hospital which took over the management of the property in 1939. The adjacent land was originally part of the Chester County Poor Farm which was established in 1798. The Chester County Poor Farm provided food and services supporting the Chester County Poor House and adjacent mental hospital just up the hill in West Bradford Township. After the Embreeville State Hospital closed the supporting farm the land was managed by Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms as a grazing site for the beef cattle of the King Ranch of Texas. When the cattle business ended in the 1970's, part of the property was used for a time as a commercial turf farm. In the the early part of the 21st century the bridge became part of the 1,263 acre ChesLen Preserve and is now open to the public. The stonework of the bridge was re-pointed as part of the preservation of the historic structure. Exit the parking area and turn right onto Route 162 and travel west.
Embreeville Bridge
The village of Embreeville was named for the Embree family that lived in Newlin Township at that location for several previous generations. To support the small mill village a covered bridge was built over the western branch of the Brandywine in 1853. The two span Burr ach structure was 163 feet long with a stone pier at mid-span. The roadway was 16 feet wide. After the construction of the Wilmington and Northern Railroad in the 1870's the village flourished. A grist mill, general store, coal and lumber yard, and blacksmith shop were located at Embreeville. The proximitly to the Chester County Poor House and mental hospital brought many visitors to the area. In 1923 the weakened covered bridge was replaced by a 404 foot long twin span concrete arch bridge built by the Dunleavy Brothers of Coatesville. Carefully re-enter Route 162 and travel west across the bridge.
Laurel Bridge
Below the confluence of Buck and Doe Run in East Fallowfield Township, the united stream, known as the Buck and Doe Run, flows for about 3 miles before it enters the west branch of the Brandywine Creek. Laurel Bridge was the only bridge over the Buck and Doe Run, so named for the abundance of laurel on a hillside near the bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1876 and had a 106 foot span with a 15 foot roadway. Menander Wood did the carpentry work and Richard Meredith did the masonry work. The location of the bridge was problematic due to flood water backing up from the Brandywine dowstream. In floods the roadway to the east of the bridge became impassable. Just upstream the area was the site of a busy 19th century industrial complex containing two mills, worker's houses, and supporting structures. In 1915 Chester County built a 3 span 109 foot three arch bridge on the eastern approach to the covered bridge as a flood bridge. In the late 1930's after the State Highway Department took over the covered bridge it was replaced by a two span steel girder open structure. Carefully re-enter Brandywine Creek Road and travel north across the bridge.
Mortonville Covered Bridge
The Morton family purchased 312 acres of land around the future village in 1840. Mortonville village was laid out out by Crosby Morton and he became the first post master in 1852. One quarter mile south of Strasburg Road at Mortonville a covered bridge crossed the west branch of the Brandywine Creek. The covered bridge was constructed by Menander Wood who did the carpentry work and John Williams who did the masonry work in 1876. The bridge connected Laurel Road on the east bank to what is now called Brandywine Creek Road on the west bank. By 1939 that section of road was closed by the state, including the bridge, and Brandywine Creek Road was connected to Strasburg Road west of the railroad. By the 1960's the bridge was in a state of structural disrepair. In the 1970's the bridge collapsed under the weight of a vehicle which was too much for the weakened beams to support. Turn around in the driveway to the left and travel north back to the intersection at Strasburg Road. Carefully turn left onto Strasburg Raod and travel west across the stone arch bridge and continue for several miles to Frog Hollow Road.
Speakman’s Bridge #1
Speakman's Bridge #1 connects West Marlborough Township to East Fallowfield Township at the Buck Run. The site of the bridge lies along a hillside where the Truman family operated a paper mill from 1844 until 1870. After this period Jonathan Speakman converted the former paper mill into a grist mill. A covered bridge was constructed in 1881 by brothers Menader and Ferdinand Wood. It was a Burr arch structure with a 75 foot span and a roadway width of 14 feet. On January 5, 1959 Speakman's Bridge was set fire but by quick work of the Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms Patrol and the Modena Fire Company the bridge was saved from serious damage. Over the following decades the strength of the beams had weakened and two support piers were added in the creek below the bridge reducing the distance of the spans. The bridge remained open to traffic until November of 2011 when a heavy truck loaded with steel bound for Coatesville attempted to cross the bridge, severely damaging the structure. In 2016 PennDOT re-built the historic bridge to specifications close to that of the original structure. Just about one mile upstream was another covered bridge that spanned the Buck Run at the Rokeby Paper Mill which replaced the earlier Federal Slitting Mill at Rokeby Hollow. The 19th century wooden Rokeby Bridge was replaced in 1874 by an iron bridge and was replaced again in 1926 by an open deck steel and concrete bridge carrying traffic on Route 82 over the Buck Run. Continue through Speakman's Bridge and turn left onto duPont Road.
Hayes Clark Bridge and Mary Ann Pyle Bridge
Often referrered to as the twin bridges the Hayes Clark and Mary Ann Pyle Bridges endure as covered bridges over the Buck and Doe Runs in the Laurels Preserve. Hayes Clark owned 208 acres in East Fallowfield Township and West Marlborough Township in the 19th century. The Doe Run ran through his property and the County had a wooden bridge built over the stream in the early 1880's. Mr. Clark had advised that the bridge was built in a poor location seceptable to flooding. Within a short period of time the new bridge would be lost to the current. The bridge was quickly rebuilt only to once again be swept away by a flood in 1884. The next time the bridge was to be rebuilt the contractors took the advice of Hayes Clark and it was built in a more suitable location some distance downstream. By late 1884 the County built the Hayes Clark Bridge, a Burr arch type with a 75 foot span with a 16 foot roadway. Menander Wood did the woodwork and a quarry was opened on the hillside near the site to acquire the materials for the stone foundation. The new bridge would have unique wing walls with stones set in a vertical position as the coping. Typical bridges of the time used wooden coping on wing walls which required more frequent replacement. The bridge was in use into the mid 20th century. By the 1960's the roadway running through the bridge had been abandoned and the bridge was privately owned by the Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms. In 1963 the bridge was burned by arsonists. In 1971 a new Hayes Clark Bridge, this time a Kingpost type, was rebuilt at the site by the Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms. Two skilled workmen used local lumber in it's construction. In the late 19th century James Pyle owned large acreage in the Buck Run Valley. Two bridges were constructed at a site over the Buck Run on the Pyle's property, which were both destroyed by floods. In 1881 the County had a replacement wooden bridge built over the stream on the Pyle's property. The bridge would be named Mary Ann Pyle after Mr. Pyle's daughter. The Mary Ann Pyle Bridge was built about a-quarter mile from the Hayes Clark Bridge and they were often referred to as "twin bridges" since they had similar dimensions and detailing. Menander Wood did the wood work on the bridge and his brother Ferdinand Wood did the stone work. The copings on the wing walls were similar in detail to that of the Hayes Clark Bridge. In the mid twentieth century the bridge was owned by the Buck and Doe Run Valley Farms and the cattle of the King Ranch would graze on the land nearby. The bridges are now part of the 771 acre Laurels Preserve managed by the Brandywine Conservancy and are open to it's membership on a walking trail.
