Knox Covered Bridge
A History of the Knox Covered Bridge
Originally built in 1851 at a cost of $843, its span was 50 feet. The bridge was made of white pine, light in weight and resistant to worms and weather.
Like other covered bridges, it was covered for protection from the weather, to keep off the rain, snow and sun. The superstructure over the bridge kept water out of the joints, where it might freeze during the winter or cause rotting in the summer, and also kept the bridge from drying.
The 1851 bridge was washed away in 1865 by a flood. A replacement was built that year at a cost of $1,179. With slightly longer a 65-foot span.
In 1958 the bridge was damaged by fire. When it was rebuilt by the State, steel girders were added to reinforce and strengthen it.
For many years the bridge was known as the Valley Forge Dam Bridge. In the 19th century there were a number of mills and factories along The Valley Creek with a dam near what is now Route 23 providing water power for their operation. The lake formed by the dam was a “very pretty body of water” but with the water level only a foot or so below the road, it also caused flooding from time to time.
Today the bridge is usually identified as the Knox Bridge – though there is some disagreement over which Knox its name is taken; Senator Philander C. Knox or General Henry Knox. It seems more probable that it took its name from the former. In 1903 he purchased 256 acres of land adjacent to the bridge and moved into the old farm house west of the bridge that had been the quarters of General William Maxwell during the Valley Forge encampment. He was an attorney and prominent in the Republican party in the early years of the 20th century, serving as Attorney General under President Theodore Roosevelt and as the Secretary of State in the cabinet of President William Howard Taft. He also served two terms as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania.
The suggestion that the bridge may have been named for General Henry Knox stems from the fact that, during the Valley Forge encampment, the 300-pound commander of the Continental artillery had his quarters in the old farm house to the east of the bridge.
Where it is:
Knox Covered Bridge in Valley Forge National Historical Park across Valley Run (creek) near Lord Stirling’s Quarters. On (or at the end of) Yellow Springs Road as it joins Valley Creek Road (PA 252). Confusingly, the last bit of Yellow Springs Road, and part of 252 are also known as Baptist Road.
Maps:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.
GPS:
40°5’13.914″ N 75°27’23.262″ W
Cost:
Entry to Valley Forge National Historical Park is free of charge.
Hours:
Open daily, year-round 7 AM to dark
Knox Covered Bridge Photo Gallery
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Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
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