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52-608: The White Rock Forge Covered Bridge or White Rock Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans the West Branch of the Octoraro Creek in southeast Lancaster County , Pennsylvania . A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the West Octoraro #2 Bridge . It was first built in 1847 by John Russell and Elias McMellen , but the original was destroyed and last rebuilt in 1884. The wooden burr bridge crosses

104-521: A common problem with northern canals. The success of these projects and the rosy promise of anthracite (a new wonder fuel in the day) to alleviate energy problems spurred canal construction for the next decade in the east, and commercial opportunities funded three decades of investment from Illinois to the Atlantic Ocean, including the ambitious 1824 Main Line of Public Works bill to connect Philadelphia with

156-535: A hit by tossing it into the Schuylkill River, noting, "There's a spot in the Schuylkill River everybody uses. If they ever send divers down there, they'd be able to arm a small country." The Schuylkill River has been a plot point in several episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . In the 2011 episode "Thunder Gun Express", Frank Reynolds , played by Danny DeVito , steals a tourist ferry and travels down

208-736: A mile in length, but was destroyed by ice and flooding in 1832. The longest, historical covered bridges remaining in the United States are the Cornish–Windsor Bridge , spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont, and Medora Bridge , spanning the East Fork of the White River in Indiana. Both lay some claim to the superlative depending upon how the length is measured. In

260-524: Is 38-36-18. Added in 1980, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003522. It is located at 39°49′28.8″N 76°5′24″W  /  39.824667°N 76.09000°W  / 39.824667; -76.09000 (39.82467, -76.09000). Covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber- truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of

312-542: Is held on the river near Boathouse Row , as is the annual BAYADA Home Health Care Regatta, featuring disabled rowers from all over the continent, and in autumn the annual Head of the Schuylkill Regatta takes place in Philadelphia. Also, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta , the biggest high school regatta in the world, takes place there. The Chinese sport of dragon boat racing was introduced to the United States on

364-461: Is known to have been on fire more than once throughout history, for example in November 1892 when the surface film of oil that had leaked from nearby oil works at Point Breeze , Philadelphia, was ignited by a match tossed carelessly from a boat, with fatal results. Silt and coal dust from upstream industries, particularly coal mining and washing operations in the headwaters, led to extensive silting of

416-771: The Erie people west and northwest through the gaps of the Allegheny in eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania (between the upper Allegheny River and Lake Erie), as well as the Five Nations of the Iroquois , another Amerindian confederation eastwards from the right bank of the Genesee River through the Finger Lakes region of upper New York down the St. Lawrence . The Lenape had settlements on

468-559: The Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia , overlooking the Schuylkill River. In 2007 Beth Kephart published Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River , a series of poetic ruminations about the river. Philadelphia on the Fly , published in 2005, and Small Fry: The Lure of the Little , published in 2009 contain essays by Ron P. Swegman describing the experience of fly fishing along

520-635: The Industrial Revolution : the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. Following White's plan, the latter company improved down river navigation on the Lehigh River , using his Bear Trap Locks design to deliver over 365 tons of anthracite to Philadelphia docks by December 1820, four years ahead of promises to Stockholders. The success, along with the pending opening of

572-561: The Pennsylvania Railroad were vital shipping conduits from the second decade of the 19th century through the mid-20th century. The rise of trucking capabilities and state & county development of road and highway networks progressively took increasing amounts of business away from both competing transport industries. By the mid-1930s the canals inflexibility and a geographically limited pool of customers steadily shifting energy usage away from anthracite doomed most eastern canals, so

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624-741: The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians through the Piedmont to the Atlantic Plain . Historically the Schuylkill lay within the territory of the Susquehannock and Lenape peoples. In 1682, William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers on lands purchased from the Lenape Indian tribe. The Schuylkill River became key in the development of the city and

676-464: The Schuylkill River Trail . There are efforts to extend both rail and trail farther upriver than they currently reach. The Schuylkill River Trail continues upriver from Norristown to Mont Clare , and designers plan to connect it to sections above Pottstown. SEPTA Regional Rail service currently does not go farther upriver than Norristown. Visions of resuming commuter rail service farther up

728-553: The War of 1812 , the two took delivery of an ark of anthracite coal which was notoriously difficult to combust reliably and experimented with ways to use it industrially, providing the knowledge to successfully begin resolving the ongoing decades long energy crises around eastern cities. The two then heavily backed the flagging effort to improve navigation on the Schuylkill, which efforts date back to legislation measures as early as 1762. By 1816, needing energy resources and disenchanted with

780-442: The West Branch of the Octoraro Creek . It is 103 feet long and 13 feet wide. The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in the traditional white color. The bridge's WGCB Number

832-651: The 1820s. Extant bridges from that decade include New York 's Hyde Hall Bridge and Pennsylvania 's Hassenplug Bridge , both built in 1825, and the Haverhill–Bath Covered Bridge and the Roberts Covered Bridge , in New Hampshire and Ohio respectively, both built in 1829. The longest covered bridge ever built was constructed in 1814 in Lancaster County , Pennsylvania, and spanned over

884-536: The 1860s Iron works, foundries, manufacturing mills, blast furnaces, rolling mills, rail yards , rail roads, warehouses and train stations sprang up throughout the valley. Tiny farm villages grew into vibrant company towns then transitioned into small cities as a major industry and supporting businesses transformed local economics and populations swelled. Restoration of the river has been funded by money left for that purpose in Benjamin Franklin 's will. The river

936-638: The 1950s, peaking at about 400 covered bridges. These mostly used the Howe, Town, and Burr trusses. Today, there are 58 covered bridges in New Brunswick , including the world's longest, the Hartland Bridge . Ontario has just one remaining covered bridge, the West Montrose Covered Bridge . Roofed, rather than covered bridges, have existed for centuries in southern Europe and Asia. In these cases,

988-650: The Lehigh, Delaware and Schuylkill Canals all ceased operations during the Great Depression years. The zooming rise of automobile ownership post-World War II, the development of suburbs, and dispersal of industrial buildings into far flung parks serviced by the government supported highways and new Interstate Highways doomed intercity rail transport; even as Interstate Commerce Committee regulations required railway operating companies to maintain passenger rail services past its economic viability—which costs further imperiled

1040-698: The Schuylkill River. In Jerry Spinelli 's 1990 young adult novel Maniac Magee , the protagonists's parents die when their commuter train plunges into the river. Much of the story takes place along the river in Two Mills, a fictionalized version of Norristown . The Schuylkill River is also the setting of the fictional estate White Acre in Elizabeth Gilbert 's 2013 novel The Signature of All Things , based on The Woodlands . The main protagonist in Ta-Nehisi Coates ' 2019 novel The Water Dancer first arrives in

1092-497: The Schuylkill in 1983, and two major dragon boat regattas are held there in June and October of each year. Water skiing, swimming and other aquatic sports are also common outside of Philadelphia city limits. The Schuylkill River Trail , which generally follows the river bank, is a multi-use trail for walking, running, bicycling, rollerblading, and other outdoor activities. The trail presently runs from Philadelphia, through Manayunk to

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1144-406: The Schuylkill valley (" Schuylkill Valley Metro ") have yet to become reality. The Schuylkill Expressway ( Interstate 76 ) and the U.S. Route 422 follow the course of the river from Philadelphia to Valley Forge to Reading. Above Reading, Pennsylvania Route 61 continues along the main river valley to Schuylkill Haven, then follows the east branch to Pottsville. U.S. Route 209 continues along

1196-601: The Schuylkill's eastern branch is in heavily mined land, one ridgeline south of Tuscarora Lake along a drainage divide with the Little Schuylkill River , about a mile east of the village of Tuscarora and about a mile west of Tamaqua , at Tuscarora Springs in Schuylkill County . Tuscarora Lake is one source of the Little Schuylkill. The West Branch starts near Minersville and joins the eastern branch at

1248-486: The Schuylkill, noting that it is "the depository of all the unsolved crimes and murders in Philadelphia". In the 2013 episode "Mac Day", Mac , played by Rob McElhenney , films a stunt video that makes it look like he jumped into the river, after which his cousin Country Mac, played by Seann William Scott , shows him up by actually jumping into the river. The 2005 video for "Doesn't Remind Me" by hard rock band Audioslave

1300-518: The U.S., although it states that only 670 of those were standing when the 1959 edition was published. The tallest (35 feet high), built in 1892, is the Felton Covered Bridge , just north of Santa Cruz, California . Between 1969 and 2015, the number of surviving covered bridges in Canada declined from about 400 to under 200. In 1900, Quebec had an estimated 1,000 covered bridges. Relative to

1352-571: The citizens in funding an iron bridge over this river, before abandoning " pontifical works" on account of the French Revolution . Over the next few decades, industrialists Josiah White and protege and partner Erskine Hazard built iron industries at the Falls of the Schuylkill during the Jefferson's administration , where White built a suspension bridge with cables made from their wire mill. During

1404-411: The cover is to protect the users of the bridge rather than the structure. Examples include: In addition to being practical, covered bridges were popular venues for a variety of social activities and are an enduring cultural icon; for example: Schuylkill River The river's watershed of about 2,000 sq mi (5,180 km ) lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania, stretching from

1456-592: The covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge can last over 100 years. In the United States, only about 1 in 10 survived the 20th century. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect, and the high cost of restoration. Surviving covered bridges often attract touristic attention due to their rarity, quaint appearance, and bucolic settings. Many are considered historic and have been

1508-588: The east branch of the river to its head in Tuscarora . In Philadelphia, Kelly Drive (formerly East River Drive), and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (formerly West River Drive) flank the river. The Schuylkill River is popular with rowing , dragon boat , and outrigger paddling enthusiasts. The Schuylkill Navy was established on the riverside adjacent to the city of Philadelphia to promote amateur rowing in 1858. The Dad Vail Regatta , an annual rowing competition,

1560-464: The first operable sections of New York's Erie Canal spurred stockholders of the Schuylkill Canal to finally fund the works. A project which had languished for over a decade got capitalized and began operations in 1822—the same year the Lehigh companies combined into the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, having had to raise additional funds for repairs due to badly ice-damaged improvements,

1612-493: The lack of urgency found in other investors to accelerate the anemic and underfunded construction rate of the Schuylkill Canal, the two jumped to option the mining rights of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company , which disenchanted stockholders were giving up on. They then waited until a charter to improve the Lehigh went delinquent, resulting in two groups of investors forming two complementary companies in 1818 that jump-started

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1664-775: The lands down along the Chesapeake Bay to the left bank Potomac River across from the Powhatan Confederacy when traders first stopped in the Delaware River and settlers arrived in the first decade of the 1600s. With ample tributary streams, the Schuylkill was ground zero during the early years of the Beaver Wars , during which the Lenape tribe became tributary to the victorious Susquehannocks. The Susquehannocks were an Iroquoian people also often in contention with their relatives:

1716-525: The mid-19th century, the use of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses. Metal structures did not need protection from the elements, so they no longer needed to be covered. The bridges also became obsolete because most were single-lane, had low width and height clearances, and could not support the heavy loads of modern traffic. As of 2004 , there were about 750 left, mostly in eastern and northern states. The 2021 World Guide to Covered Bridges lists 840 covered bridges in

1768-499: The most popular designs was the Burr Truss , patented in 1817, which used an arch to bear the load, while the trusses kept the bridge rigid. Other designs included the King , Queen , Lattice , and Howe trusses . Early trusses were designed with only a rough understanding of the engineering dynamics at work. In 1847, American engineer Squire Whipple published the first correct analysis of

1820-509: The native name for the river was Ganshowe-hánne , meaning "roaring stream". The river was also sometimes called the Manaiunk in European sources, which derives from a Lenape place-name meaning "place to drink". This name appears on a Swedish map of 1655 in the form Menejackse Kÿl . The mighty Susquehannock confederation claimed the area along the Schuylkill as a hunting ground, as they did to

1872-672: The newly emerging states of the Northwest Territory via the Allegheny & Ohio valleys at Pittsburgh and to Lake Erie — leveraging the wide-ranging branches of the Susquehanna River in the state's center. In the 1830s railway technology and new railroads grew in leaps and bounds, and the Schuylkill Valley was at the heart of these developments, as well as the new Anthracite iron and mining industries. From 1820 to

1924-611: The precise ways that a load is carried through the components of a truss, which enabled him to design stronger bridges with fewer materials. About 14,000 covered bridges have been built in the United States, mostly in the years 1825 to 1875. The first documented was the Permanent Bridge , completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia . However, most other early examples of covered bridges do not appear until

1976-466: The railroad's profits leading to a widespread collapse of the industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Rail freight still uses many of the same valley rights-of-way that the 19th-century railroads used. Passenger and commuter rail service is more limited. Today, the old rail bed rights-of-way along the river between Philadelphia and Norristown contain SEPTA 's Manayunk/Norristown Line , formerly Reading Railroad and

2028-567: The rest of North America, Quebec was late in building covered bridges, with the busiest decade for construction being the 1930s. Initially, the designs were varied, but around 1905, the design was standardised to the Town québécois , a variant on the lattice truss patented by Ithiel Town in 1820. The designer is unknown. About 500 of these were built in the first half of the 20th century. They were often built by local settlers using local materials, according to standard plans. The last agricultural colony

2080-629: The river has improved much over the past decades. A fish ladder to support shad migration has been constructed at the Manayunk dam. Mayfly hatches (signifying good water quality) now occur yearly along the Montgomery sections of the river. The Schuylkill River valley was an important thoroughfare in the eras of canals and railroads. The river itself, the Schuylkill Canal , the Reading Railroad , and

2132-462: The river through the early 20th century. The river was shallow and filled with extensive black silt bars. By the early 20th century, upstream coal operations contributed over 3 million tons of silt annually to the river. In 1948, led by then governor James H. Duff , a massive cleanup effort began. Twenty three impounding basins were excavated along the river, to receive dredged silt. The 1945 Desilting Act helped begin this cleanup task. The quality of

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2184-568: The river, including Nittabakonck ("place where heroes reside"), a village on the east bank just south of the confluence of Wissahickon Creek, and the Passyunk site, on the west bank where the Schuylkill meets the Delaware River. > American patriot paper maker Frederick Bicking owned a fishery on the river prior to the American Revolution , and Thomas Paine tried in vain to interest

2236-547: The site of the former Philadelphia Navy Yard , now the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, just northeast of Philadelphia International Airport . The Schuylkill's name derives from the Dutch words schuilen , meaning to hide, and kil , meaning stream, apparently because of the "retired and hidden situation of its mouth". According to John Heckewelder , a missionary who worked among the local Lenape Indians ,

2288-595: The subject of historic preservation campaigns. Typically, covered bridges are structures with longitudinal timber-trusses which form the bridge's backbone. Some were built as railway bridges, using very heavy timbers and doubled up lattice work. In Canada and the U.S., numerous timber covered bridges were built in the late 1700s to the late 1800s, reminiscent of earlier designs in Germany and Switzerland . They tend to be in isolated places, making them vulnerable to vandalism and arson. The oldest surviving truss bridge in

2340-679: The surrounding region. While long used for transport, the river was made fully navigable via the Schuylkill Canal in 1825, followed by the construction of the Reading Railroad Main Line in 1838 and the Schuylkill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1884. Through these corridors, millions of tons of anthracite coal flowed down the Schuylkill from the Coal Region to its north in Northeast Pennsylvania . The canal

2392-403: The town of Schuylkill Haven . It then combines with the Little Schuylkill River downstream in the town of Port Clinton . The Tulpehocken Creek joins it at the western edge of Reading . Wissahickon Creek joins it in northwest Philadelphia. Other major tributaries include: Maiden Creek , Manatawny Creek , French Creek , and Perkiomen Creek . The Schuylkill joins the Delaware River at

2444-403: The urban Schuylkill River in the 21st century. In several episodes of Cold Case , a CBS television series based on the Philadelphia Police Department that aired from 2003 to 2010, various members of the Cold Case squad mention finding "a floater in the Schuylkill". In the 2019 film The Irishman , mob hitman Frank Sheeran , played by Robert De Niro , disposes of a gun he just used in

2496-406: The village of Mont Clare , the latter of which are the locations of the last two remaining watered stretches of the Schuylkill Canal . There is also a section of trail starting at Pottstown and running upriver toward Reading. Plans are under way to complete the trail from the Delaware River to Reading. Jules Verne 's 1904 novel Robur the Conqueror starts out in Philadelphia on the banks of

2548-459: The world is the Kapellbrücke in Switzerland, first built in the 1300s. Modern-style timber truss bridges were pioneered in Switzerland in the mid-1700s. Germany has 70 surviving historic wooden covered bridges. Most bridges were built to cross streams, and the majority had just a single span . Virtually all contained a single lane. A few two-lane bridges were built, having a third, central truss. Many different truss designs were used. One of

2600-471: The years since. The Schuylkill River above Fairmount Dam has been a major rowing venue since the founding of the Schuylkill Navy in 1858. In recent decades the Schuylkill River Trail cycle and foot path has been constructed along the river. The Schuylkill Heritage Corridor was designated a Pennsylvania Heritage Park in 1995 and a National Heritage Area in 2000 to promote the river's historic, environmental, and recreational significance. The source of

2652-439: Was abandoned in 1931, while the Schuylkill Expressway was completed in 1959. Industrial pollution and mining silt plagued the river in the 19th and 20th centuries. Early concerns over water quality led to the creation of Fairmount Park in 1812. Protections came with the 1972 passing of the Clean Water Act , and the Schuylkill was designated as the first Pennsylvania Scenic River in 1978. Water quality has largely recovered in

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2704-452: Was founded in 1948, and the last bridge was built by the Ministry of Colonisation in 1958 in Lebel-sur-Quévillon . There are now 82 covered bridges in Quebec, Transports Québec including the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge , the province's longest covered bridge. In Quebec covered bridges were sometimes known as pont rouges (red bridges) because of their typical colour. Like Quebec, New Brunswick continued to build covered bridges into

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