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Lehigh
County, Pennsylvania
(WGN
38-39-05) (WGCB PA-39-05): (1858; portals replaced 1998)
A single-span Burr arch truss 131' 8" over the Jordan Creek. Located:
On Packhouse Road, northwest of Allentown, North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.
Directions: From the Rex Covered Bridge (WGN
38-39-04), go west on Jordan Road for
1.1 mile to the jct. with Ruheton Hill Road. Bear right on Jordan
Road for 0.3 mile to the jct. with Packhouse Road. Turn right on
Packhouse Road and go 0.2 mile to the bridge. There is an area in
which to park and turn around on the far side of the bridge, so that you
can return through the bridge to Ruheton Hill Road to continue on to the
Schlicher
Covered Bridge (WGN 38-39-06).
In 1998, the portals were replaced in the original stepped design, one
of the few in the state with a similar façade, and the only one
in Lehigh County with this design. The World Guide of Covered
Bridges lists the bridges name as Geiger. The Lehigh County
tourist pamphlet, Covered Bridges in the Lehigh Valley, lists the
bridges name as Geiger's Covered Bridge and there is a plaque on
the portal indicating the bridges name as "Geiger's Bridge."
There is also some question as to the date of the bridges construction,
with the World Guide of Covered Bridges listing the date as 1858
and both the Lehigh County tourist pamphlet Covered Bridges in the Lehigh
Valley and a sign posted on the bridges portal indicating 1860.
The structure rests on stone and mortar abutments with long wing walls
that have been faced and capped with white painted concrete. The
bridge is covered with barn red vertical board and batten siding on both
the sides and the portals. The interior is painted white and it is
open under the eves for ventilation. The deck consists of lengthwise
planking laid over crosswise planking and the interior is painted white.
Also known as the
Geiger's Covered Bridge. It was listed on
the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1980. (Jun
2008) |
