We are back to bridges today with the last installment in our Bucks County Covered Bridges Tour. In contrast to Part 1 and Part 2, these bridges were visited on different days. Our first bridge on the tour was the final bridge we visited on our first day, two weeks ago, and the others were visited last week.
Mood’s Covered Bridge
We ended our first leg of the Covered Bridges Tour with Mood’s Covered Bridge, which sits over Perkiomen Creek in East Rockhill Township, PA. There is ample parking right next to the bridge and trails all along Perkiomen Creek. The bridge itself was reconstructed in 2007-2008 after the original, built in 1874, was burned down. We decided to enjoy the bridge and the day by walking the trail over a foot bridge and around the nearby soccer fields. We admired the wildlife and even saw a heron flying overhead. It was nice to stretch our legs for a bit and our little one did not want to get back into the car.
After finally getting back on the road, we grabbed some food and were on our way home with a great day of beautiful bridges behind us, looking forward to the next leg another day.
South Perkasie Covered Bridge
Another day came less than a week later and we drove out to Perkasie, PA to see this 93′ long bridge that was relocated to a local park in 1958. South Perkasie Covered Bridge was built in 1832 and now crosses no water, but sits on a small field in Lenape Park. A sign inside of the bridge explains the move:
Moving of South Perkasie Covered Bridge
sign inside South Perkasie Covered Bridge
The relocation of the 1832 span from S. Main St. to Lenape Park took one week in mid August 1958 at a cost of over $10,000 — raised from the community by the Perkasie Historical Society which saved the bridge from demolition. The bridge was rededicated in 2008 on the 50th anniversary of the move.
We were happy to be able to explore the bridge by walking through and around it. Our little one loved playing outside and as we “ran” through it kept repeating “this is fun”, which describes this trip pretty well. The bridge also has a sign over both entrances which reads “$5 fine for any person riding or driving over this bridge faster than a walk or smoking segars on.” There are also “Welcome to Perkasie” signs on the sides from the Perkasie Historical Society and a sign in front identifying it as a Historical Covered Bridge.
This may have been our favorite bridge of all and was definitely the favorite of the day. We probably could have spent all day there crossing the bridge and running around the field yelling “this is fun”, but we still had two more bridges to see.
Pine Valley Covered Bridge
We next pulled up to Pine Valley Covered Bridge, where another couple was also exploring and taking pictures. We pulled to the side of the road instead of driving through it and I got out to take a few pictures of the 81-foot bridge crossing Pine Run Creek. We didn’t notice Covered Bridge Park, on the opposite side of the bridge, until we had already begun driving away, but it looked like it would make for a nice spot to get out and explore. The bridge itself was built in 1842 and county-owned. Pine Run Creek was flowing below it and the cars crossed pretty frequently above – this may have been the most-trafficked bridge in the county!
Schofield Ford Covered Bridge
The last bridge on our tour was Schofield Ford Covered Bridge over the Neshaminy Creek in Tyler State Park. Our GPS had us all turned around trying to get there because within the park some roads are not driveable (for foot and equestrian traffic only), so we were finally able to find our way by using the directions on the Bucks County Covered Bridges Tour. We made our way to the Covered Bridge parking lot, which was full of cars. It seemed that everyone had the idea to check out the bridge or take a hike on this beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Once out of the car, we headed to the trail head and down a steep decline toward the bridge. I will say, if you are doing this trail with small children, hold on to them tight. I almost slipped twice walking down and I was pretty much keeping our daughter standing. There are some steps built into the side using logs, but they are really large steps and not really toddler-friendly. Once we got to the bottom, however, the only obstacles were avoiding horse droppings.
We turned a few corners to the trail and Schofield Ford Covered Bridge appeared in front of us, from behind the trees. The bridge is the longest in the county, at 164 feet long (and 15 feet wide), and it felt that long! Built in 1873, the bridge was initially created to link the towns of Newtown and Northampton Township. According to a sign at its base, after standing for 118 years, it burnt to the ground in 1991, but was rebuilt in 1997 by volunteers from the community using community-raised funds.
Schofield Ford Covered Bridge is only open only to foot and equestrian traffic, but is worth the trek for the magnificent view. The bridge is also the only one in the county with windows where you can look out and see the park surrounding it. I think that may have been my favorite part of this bridge.
All of the Bucks County Covered Bridges were unique and rich with history – both a shared history of these “kissing bridges” and a history of its own. We hope we’ve inspired you to take some time to drive out to visit these bridges yourself. If you have any questions or for more specific recommendations, contact us at [email protected].
Read the other posts in this series: Bucks County Covered Bridges Part 1, and Bucks County Covered Bridges Part 2
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