Conowingo Bridge

Conowingo Bridge
Film still of the bridge in 1928, from archival footage of its demolition.
Coordinates
Carries	Two lanes of US 1
Crosses	Susquehanna River
Locale	Conowingo, Maryland
Characteristics
Total length	1,334-foot (407 m)
History
Construction start	1818
Construction end	1820
Opened	1820 (1820)
Closed	1928 (1928)
Location

Several incarnations of the Conowingo Bridge crossed the Susquehanna River at the original location of Conowingo, Maryland, United States, about two miles upstream of the Conowingo Dam, which replaced it.

History

Location of the Conowingo Bridge, 1900

The original Conowingo Bridge was a seven-span, 1,334-foot (407 m), covered bridge built between 1818 and 1820 by Louis Wernwag, who also worked on the Port Deposit Bridge. (Another source lists 1844.) That bridge was destroyed, in 1846 or 1847, by a flood. A new wooden covered bridge opened in 1859.

Civil War defense plan for the bridge

This crossing was an important link between Maryland and northern states in the 19th century. During the American Civil War, it was guarded on its southern approach, and some of the bridge decking was removed to prevent surreptitious crossing.

On June 6, 1907, "firebugs" set fire to the 1859 bridge using kerosene. About three-quarters of a mile of it burned. The bridge was rebuilt as a steel structure in 1909. In 1911, the state of Maryland bought the bridge and ended the tolls.

With the dam's completion in 1928, both the town and the crossing were relocated due to the rising waters impounded by the dam. The road crossing moved to the top of the dam. The bridge was then destroyed by blasting gelatin.

External links

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Old Conowingo Covered Bridge circa 1880
• Photo of the bridge, Maryland Historical Society
• Bridge photos, including demolition
• More of the 1900 Topographical Map showing the Conowingo Bridge