Buttonwood Covered Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Buttonwood Covered Bridge is a covered bridge
built in either 1878 or 1898 over Blockhouse Creek in Jackson Township
, Lycoming County
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. It uses a queen post
with king post
truss and is 74 inch long. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980, and had a major restoration in 1998. It is the shortest and most heavily used of the three covered bridges remaining in Lycoming County.
(PHMC), which surveyed county engineers, historical and covered bridge societies, and others for all the covered bridges in the commonwealth. The Evans visited every covered bridge in Pennsylvania in 2001 and measured each bridge's length (portal to portal) and width (at the portal) for their book. The data in Zacher's book was based on a 1991 survey of all covered bridges in Pennsylvania by the PHMC and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, aided by local government and private agencies. The article uses primarily the NBI and NRHP data, as they are national programs.
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
built in either 1878 or 1898 over Blockhouse Creek in Jackson Township
Jackson Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Jackson Township is a township located in northern Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The population was 414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Lycoming County
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
-Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It uses a queen post
Queen post
A queen post is a supporting post designed to span longer openings than a king post. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post uses two.-Architecture:...
with king post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
truss and is 74 inch long. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980, and had a major restoration in 1998. It is the shortest and most heavily used of the three covered bridges remaining in Lycoming County.
Dimensions
The following table is a comparison of published measurements of length, width and load recorded in different sources using different methods, as well as the structural type cited. The NBI measures bridge length between the "backwalls of abutments" or pavement grooves and the roadway width as "the most restrictive minimum distance between curbs or rails". The NRHP form measures length from "end post to end post", and was prepared by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionPennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
(PHMC), which surveyed county engineers, historical and covered bridge societies, and others for all the covered bridges in the commonwealth. The Evans visited every covered bridge in Pennsylvania in 2001 and measured each bridge's length (portal to portal) and width (at the portal) for their book. The data in Zacher's book was based on a 1991 survey of all covered bridges in Pennsylvania by the PHMC and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, aided by local government and private agencies. The article uses primarily the NBI and NRHP data, as they are national programs.
| Length feet (m) |
Width feet (m) |
Load short tons (MT) |
Truss type(s) |
Year built |
Source (Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 feet (23.5 m) | 16 inch | 3 short tons (2.7 MT) | Queen post | 1878 | Landis (1966) |
| 74 inch | 14 inch | 11 short tons (10 MT) | Wood or Timber | Pre-1900 | NBI (2009) |
| 63 feet (19.2 m) | 14 inch | 3 short tons (2.7 MT) | Multiple kingpost and queenpost Burr arch | 1898 | NRHP (1980) |
| 74 inch | 15 foot | NA | Queenpost with kingpost | 1898 | Evans (2001) |
| 57 feet (17.4 m) | 14 inch | NA | Burr | 1898 | Zacher (1994) |