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Lehigh
County, Pennsylvania
(WGN
38-39-01) (WGCB PA-39-01): (1841; reconstructed c.
mid 1950's) A single-span plus Burr arch truss 170' 6" over Little
Lehigh creek. Located: On bypassed Oxford Drive (South 24th
Street, also SR 2007), Little Lehigh Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Directions: From I-78 East, exit 18 (Lehigh Street). Turn right
on Lehigh Street for 0.5 mile to traffic light at Oxford Drive; turn right
on Oxford Drive for 0.9 mile to the traffic light at Fish Hatchery Road.
Turn right, then immediately left to the bridge. From I-78 West,
exit 18A (Lehigh Street). Turn left on Lehigh Street for 0.6 mile
to traffic light at Oxford Drive. Turn right on Oxford Drive for
0.9 mile to the traffic light at Fish Hatchery Road. Turn right,
then immediately left to the bridge. The World Guide of Covered
Bridges lists the bridges name as Bogert. The Lehigh County
tourist pamphlet, Covered Bridges in the Lehigh Valley, lists the
bridges name as Bogert's Covered Bridge. The bridge is located
in Little Lehigh Park where it is maintained by the city of Allentown’s
Park Commission. The bridge is one of the oldest of the remaining
covered bridges in Lehigh County and one of the oldest in the nation.
In 1956, after being damaged by a truck, local residents saved it from
demolition. The “Save the Bogert’s Bridge Committee” was pictured
in cartoons as a militant group defending the structure with a cannon.
When the bridge was reconstructed, two concrete piers were added to support
the bridge. The tops of the high double Burr arches can be seen through
the top opening under the eves. The structure rests on the original
stone and mortar abutments that have been reinforced with concrete and
its long, stone and mortar wing walls are capped with concrete. The sides
are covered with barn red painted vertical board and batten and barn red
painted vertical boarding on the portals. The interior is painted
white. It is open under the eves for ventilation and there is one
small opposing horizontal window on each side. The deck consists
of wide crosswise planking and it has a slate roof. Also known as the Bogert's
Covered Bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic
Places on December 1, 1980. (Jun 2008) |
