Centre Bridge, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Centre Bridge is an unincorporated community
on the Delaware River
in Solebury Township
, Bucks County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. Located at the crossroads of River Road (Routes 32
) and 263
), it lies 3 miles (4.8 km) north of New Hope
. The spelling of the name of the village is traditional.
Centre Bridge was originally called Reading's Ferry after the proprietor of the original ferry at this point on the Old York Road
between Philadelphia
and New York. In 1814 a covered wooden toll bridge was built there. In 1923 lightning struck the bridge and the resulting fire destroyed the bridge. The fire was depicted in a famous painting by Edward Willis Redfield
who lived in a farm house just north of the bridge. The current Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge
was completed in 1926.
The Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal
runs along the river between Centre Bridge and the river.
For more than two hundred years there has been an inn at the crossroads. It has burned several times. The last time it burned to the ground in the early 1960s, the centuries old stone walls tumbled. This time it was rebuilt by more modern although less picturesque standards.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
in Solebury Township
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania
Solebury Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,692 at the 2010 census.The Solebury School is located in the township, off U.S...
, Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located at the crossroads of River Road (Routes 32
Pennsylvania Route 32
Pennsylvania Route 32 is a scenic two-lane highway that runs along the side of the Delaware River in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It begins at U.S. 1 in Falls Township and ends at Pennsylvania Route 611 near the village of Kintnersville...
) and 263
Pennsylvania Route 263
Pennsylvania Route 263 is a north–south state highway located in southeast Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at PA 611 in Willow Grove, Montgomery County. The northern terminus is at PA 32 in Centre Bridge, Bucks County on the banks of the Delaware River near the Centre...
), it lies 3 miles (4.8 km) north of New Hope
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
. The spelling of the name of the village is traditional.
Centre Bridge was originally called Reading's Ferry after the proprietor of the original ferry at this point on the Old York Road
Old York Road
Old York Road or King's Highway is a roadway that was built in the 18th century to connect Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with New York City, New York. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan "Naraticong Trail"...
between Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and New York. In 1814 a covered wooden toll bridge was built there. In 1923 lightning struck the bridge and the resulting fire destroyed the bridge. The fire was depicted in a famous painting by Edward Willis Redfield
Edward Willis Redfield
Edward Willis Redfield was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his impressionist scenes of the New Hope area, often depicting the snow-covered countryside.Redfield was born in 1869 in Bridgeville, Delaware...
who lived in a farm house just north of the bridge. The current Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge
Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge
The Centre Bridge–Stockton Bridge is a free bridge over the Delaware River owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission...
was completed in 1926.
The Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal (Delaware Division)
The Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, more commonly called the Delaware Canal, runs from the Lehigh River at Easton south to Bristol...
runs along the river between Centre Bridge and the river.
For more than two hundred years there has been an inn at the crossroads. It has burned several times. The last time it burned to the ground in the early 1960s, the centuries old stone walls tumbled. This time it was rebuilt by more modern although less picturesque standards.