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The Port Deposit Bridge (also known as the Susquehanna River Bridge or Rock Run Toll Bridge) was the earliest bridge crossing of the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
below
Columbia, Pennsylvania Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,222. It is southeast of Harrisburg, on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, ...
, providing the first reliable link between the northern and southern
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The bridge was also the fifth and last of
Theodore Burr Theodore Burr (August 16, 1771 – November 22, 1822) was an inventor from Torrington, Connecticut, who was credited with the Burr Arch Truss bridge design. He designed and built one of the first bridges across the Hudson River and several brid ...
's Susquehanna crossings. The wooden
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 the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...
was constructed just north of Port Deposit, Maryland, between 1817 and 1818 and lasted until 1857. It was built and operated by the Susquehanna Bridge and Bank Company.


History

The site for the bridge was surveyed in 1813. The bridge crossed from north of Port Deposit to just below Rock Run stream in Harford County. The bridge crossed Steel, Roberts, and Wood Islands. Construction of the bridge was started in 1817. The bridge was constructed by Theodore Burr, who had just completed work on four Susquehanna bridges in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. The bridge design used his Burr arch truss. "This ultimate achievement of Burr's on the Susquehanna, having in all eighteen 200-foot trussed arch wooden spans, eight between the west shore and a first island, two between that and a second island, and eight more between that and the east shore, and a total length of 4,170 feet, was to be performed in two years. For the years between 1812 and 1818, Burr's trussed arch had been an increasing triumph.". The bridge opened in 1818. On 1 January 1823, friction from an iron-shod sleigh caused a fire that burned large portions of the bridge. It was rebuilt by Louis Wernwag in 1824.{{cite web , last1=Anon. , title=HISTORIC HIGHWAY BRIDGES IN MARYLAND: 1631-1960: HISTORIC CONTEXT REPORT , url=https://roads.maryland.gov/OPPEN/Historic%20Highway%20Bridges%20in%20Maryland%20-%201631-1960,%20Historic%20Context%20Report.pdf , website=www.roads.maryland.gov , publisher=Maryland State Highway Administration , access-date=30 November 2024 The bridge operated until 1854, when a herd of cattle caused two spans to collapse. It remained closed and a large section of the eastern span was destroyed by the spring flood of 1857. It was superseded by the Conowingo Bridge, which reopened in 1859, further upstream. The ruins of the abutments are still clearly visible from the western shore o
from above
The ''Jersey Toll House'', located at the southwestern end of the bridge, still exists as part of Susquehanna State Park.


See also

* List of crossings of the Susquehanna River


References


External links


Drawing of bridge from Susquehanna Bank and Bridge Co. $5 Note
Covered bridges in Maryland Bridges over the Susquehanna River Bridges completed in 1818 Wooden bridges in Maryland Road bridges in Maryland Former toll bridges in Maryland Burr Truss bridges in the United States Bridges in Cecil County, Maryland