01/28/2021
The old wooden, covered bridge between Brownsville and West Brownsville, PA along the National Pike route laid out by the federal government in 1807 was demolished in October of 1910. These photos are from October 14th, 1910. Built in 1832-33, the bridge had quite a bit of history associated with it, to say the least. I can only begin to scratch the surface.
The bridge was built at a site that already had a great deal of history as a location on the Monongahela River that was forded by Henry Clay traveling to the seat of government and pioneers heading west in covered wagons. At that point in history during the summer months, the Monongahela River would be no more than 100 feet wide and 15 inches deep according to one account.
Later, once the bridge was built, many early presidents and other noted individuals crossed the bridge to and from the nation's capitol.
The first man to ride a horse over the bridge was reported to be Mr. John Thompson of Granville.
On January 30th, 1852, a Virginia Legislature proposal instructed the Attorney General to institute lawsuits against the Brownsville Bridge Company "for obstructing the navigation of the Monongahela." If the water level was too high, boats could not pass underneath it. There needed to be less than 20 feet of water in the river according to one report.
On February 21st, 1890, for example, the James G. Blaine boat could not make it under which suspended the Morgantown packet line operations. Same for the Leroy on March 20th of 1908, the Pittsburgh & Morgantown packet line on November 20th, 1906, and the W. A. Markle's New Sunny South on May 6th, 1909.
On January 31st, 1884, a steamer named Oeila broke loose at Vandegrift's distillery near Fredericktown and struck a pier of the bridge, causing damage to the steamer's cabin.
In March of 1886, a man named Harry L. Bavard (last name spelled multiple ways by various newspapers) fell through a defective plank in the bridge into the river below, a distance of 40 feet, resulting in serious injuries. Witnesses having testified that the defective plank was an issue for years and the gaslight at the west end of the bridge being out, Bavard received a verdict of $1,700 for his injuries in court.
In July of 1888, there was rumor floating around the Valley that the bridge was gone, washed away by a massive flood. The water at its highest mark in Brownsville during that flood reached 43 feet, 3 inches. The bridge stood the test, although the water level was within 8 inches of its weatherboarding.
On January 24th, 1898, the passenger steamer named Adam Jacobs rammed into a pier of the bridge, almost turning over and causing a fire at the rear of the boat that needed to be extinguished. After a mile of drifting, the Adam Jacobs and its passengers were caught by two steamers. The passengers were transferred safely to the other steamers.
In 1904, citing it as a hindrance to navigation, Secretary Taft at the War Department ordered the bridge modified to provide a channel span of no less than 390 feet and clearance above the level of the fourth pool of no less than 52 feet (the bridge was 40 feet above the fourth pool level and a 200-foot channel span). At another point in 1904, Secretary Taft of the War Department ordered the bridge to be razed.
On February 21st, 1910, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the decision of a lower court to fine the Monongahela Bridge Company of Brownsville $1,000 for failing to make necessary modifications.
On July 2nd, 1910, a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the Pittsburgh, Monongahela & Southern Railroad, purchased the historic bridge and would begin demolishing the structure a couple months later to make way for additional trackage in place of the bridge's approaches.
The bridge was closed to traffic on September 24th, 1910 after being condemned by the government.
On October 14th, 1910, the date these photos were taken, thousands of persons watched as the towboat Robert Jenkins pulled the center span of the bridge into the Monongahela River using six large cables. As an article from 'The Canonsburg Daily Notes' from that day reported, "The ropes were slackened and a signal was given to start. The old covered bridge shivered and creaked, the ropes strained and the structure fell, splashing great waves into two counties."
Nine days later at about 11:30 PM on Oct. 23rd, a strong storm blew down the last remaining wooden span of the bridge, clearing the last of the woodwork. In the absence of the bridge, the people in the area crossed the river by ferry.
Feel free to add pictures and more history related to this post below in the comments.
Source of the photos: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
