Bridge in Cumberland Township

The Cunningham Bridge[1] is an historic place on the national register in Adams County, Pennsylvania, near Greenmount, Pennsylvania, United States. The three-section iron bridge spans west-to-east from Franklin Township to Cumberland Township and is the oldest example of a Baltimore truss.[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Bridge in Cumberland Township" in 1988 despite being in Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania.[2][3]

Not to be confused with Alfred Cunningham Bridge.

Cunningham Bridge
Cunningham Bridge in 1982
Coordinates	39°45′27″N 77°17′6″W
Carries	Cunningham Road
Crosses	Marsh Creek
Locale	Greenmount, Adams County, PA
Maintained by	PennDOT
Characteristics
Design	mainspan is the "first example" of a Baltimore truss[1]^:2002
Total length	256 feet (78 m)
Width	13 feet, 8 inches
Load limit	3 tons
Clearance above	11 feet, 7 inches
History
Closed	1990

Bridge in Cumberland Township
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	0.9 acres (0.36 ha)
Built	1894
Architect	Nelson & Buchanon
NRHP reference No.	88000866[2]
Added to NRHP	June 22, 1988

Chronology

• 1894 — The Pittsburgh Bridge Company[4] (Nelson & Buchanon Engrs. & Contrs,[2] agents) built the bridge 0.5 mile west of the Greenmount.
• 1986 — A $138,512 upgrade began for the bridge.[1]
• 1990 — The bridge was closed indefinitely.[1]
• 1996 — After having been struck by a motorist in the Spring,[5] the Cunningham Bridge survived a 500 year flood on June 19 that washed away the wooden Sachs Covered Bridge (upstream) and the iron 1886 Rothhaupt Bridge (downstream).[4]
• 1997 — A 1997 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) study recommended replacing the entire bridge, and the Adams County Citizens Alliance held a meeting on April 8 regarding the bridge.[5]
• 2000 — PennDOT planned to demolish the Cunningham Bridge.[1]
• 2002 — A resolution by the county commissioners was for "every effort should be made to keep the bridge at its current location [and] preserve as much historic detail as possible."[1]
• 2011 — The bridge was slated for demolition in 2011.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, Pennsylvania

References

1. "Cunningham Bridge" (Google News Archive listing). Gettysburg Times. Times and News Publishing Company. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
   • 1986: Fresch, Bill (March 7, 1986). "Replacement of two bridges to begin Monday". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
   • 1990: "Cunningham Road closed for bridge work". Gettysburg Times. June 21, 1990. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
   • 2000: Brownley, Debra (October 19, 2000). "Commissioners make decision on old bridge". Missing or empty |url= (help)
   • 2002: Messeder, John (January 3, 2002). "Commissioners … seek to preserve historic bridge". Retrieved 2010-01-30.
   • 2004: "What to do about Cunningham Bridge?". April 9, 2004. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
   • 2005: "Cunningham Bridge Closed". June 9, 2005. Retrieved 2010-01-30. … built in 1894, has a clearance of only 11 feet-7 inches, and has been posted at three tons maximum load.
   • 2007: "Cunningham Bridge meeting tonight". May 22, 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-30. … built in 1884 … carried less than 200 vehicles on a daily basis. The total length of the structure is 256 feet. The width of the bridge is 13 feet 8 inches.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Patricia A. Remy (July 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Bridge in Cumberland Township" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-12-08.
4. "Adams County". BridgeHunter.com. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
5. Burger, T.W. (August 18, 1996). "tbd". Evening Sun. Missing or empty |url= (help) (available at the Adams County Historical Society)