Larkin Covered Bridge (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania)

The Larkin Covered Bridge is a 60-foot-long (18 m), Burr truss wooden covered bridge that is located outside of Chester Springs, Chester County, Pennsylvania, near the village of Eagle. The bridge, which originally crossed over Marsh Creek, now spans a dry ditch and is a feature of the Upper Uwchlan Township trail system.

Larkin Covered Bridge
Larkin Covered Bridge originally spanned Marsh Creek in Milford Mills, Pennsylvania
Larkin Covered Bridge (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania) is located in Pennsylvania
Larkin Covered Bridge (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania)
Larkin Covered Bridge (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania) is located in the United States
Larkin Covered Bridge (Chester Springs, Pennsylvania)
LocationEagle, Upper Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°4′56″N 75°41′8″W / 40.08222°N 75.68556°W / 40.08222; -75.68556
Arealess than one acre
Built1881 (original bridge 1854)
Built byWood, Menander & Ferdinand
Architectural styleBurr truss
MPSCovered Bridges of Chester County TR
NRHP reference No.80003458[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 10, 1980

History

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The original bridge was built in 1854 to span Marsh Creek, a tributary of the east branch of the Brandywine Creek, beside Jesse Larkin's Gristmill near the village of Milford Mills, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southwest of its current location. The bridge was rebuilt in 1881.

In 1972, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the Larkin Bridge and relocated it 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north prior to the evacuation of Milford Mills and the creation of Marsh Creek Lake in Marsh Creek State Park. The bridge was used as a pedestrian crossing between two day camps in the new state park. Larkin Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[2]

In 1998, Upper Uwchlan Township acquired the bridge, and in 2006, the township government worked with developers (Toll Brothers, Orleans and K. Hovnanian) to dismantle and relocate the bridge. Larkin Covered Bridge was rebuilt on the trail path next to the entrance to the Byers Station housing development on Graphite Mine Road near the village of Eagle.

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archaeology. Retrieved 2012-11-02. Note: This includes Susan M. Zacher (July 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Larkin Covered Bridge" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-17.