Bridge in Cumberland Township

Not to be confused with Alfred Cunningham Bridge.

Cunningham Bridge
Cunningham Bridge in 1982
Coordinates	39°45′27″N77°17′6″W / 39.75750°N 77.28500°W / 39.75750; -77.28500
Carries	Cunningham Road
Crosses	Marsh Creek
Locale	Greenmount, Adams County, PA
Maintained by	PennDOT
Characteristics
Design	mainspan is the "first example" of a Baltimore truss [1] : 2002
Total length	256 feet (78 m)
Width	13 feet, 8 inches
Load limit	3 tons
Clearance above	11 feet, 7 inches
History
Closed	1990
Location
Interactive map of Cunningham Bridge

Bridge in Cumberland Township
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	0.9 acres (0.36 ha)
Built	1894
Architect	Nelson & Buchanon[ citation needed ]
NRHP reference No.	88000866 [2]
Added to NRHP	June 22, 1988

The Cunningham Bridge ^[1] is an historic place on the national register in Adams County, Pennsylvania, near Greenmount, Pennsylvania, United States. The three-section iron bridge spans west-to-east from Franklin Township to Cumberland Township and is the oldest example of a Baltimore truss. ^[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Bridge in Cumberland Township" in 1988 despite being in Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania. ^{[2] [3]}

Chronology

• 1894 — The Pittsburgh Bridge Company ^[4] (Nelson & Buchanon Engrs. & Contrs, ^[2] agents) built the bridge 0.5 mile west of the Greenmount.
• 1986 — A $138,512 upgrade began for the bridge. ^[1]
• 1990 — The bridge was closed indefinitely. ^[1]
• 1996 — After having been struck by a motorist in the Spring, ^[5] the Cunningham Bridge survived a 500 year flood on June 19 that washed away the wooden Sachs Covered Bridge (upstream) and the iron 1886 Rothhaupt Bridge (downstream). ^[4]
• 1997 — A 1997 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) study recommended replacing the entire bridge, and the Adams County Citizens Alliance held a meeting on April 8 regarding the bridge. ^[5]
• 2000 — PennDOT planned to demolish the Cunningham Bridge. ^[1]
• 2002 — A resolution by the county commissioners was for "every effort should be made to keep the bridge at its current location [and] preserve as much historic detail as possible." ^[1]
• 2011 — The bridge was slated for demolition in 2011.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, Pennsylvania

References

1. "Cunningham Bridge" (Google News Archive listing). Gettysburg Times. Times and News Publishing Company. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
   • 1986: Fresch, Bill (March 7, 1986). "Replacement of two bridges to begin Monday". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
   • 1990: "Cunningham Road closed for bridge work". Gettysburg Times. June 21, 1990. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
   • 2000: Brownley, Debra (October 19, 2000). "Commissioners make decision on old bridge".
   • 2002: Messeder, John (January 3, 2002). "Commissioners … seek to preserve historic bridge" . Retrieved January 30, 2010.
   • 2004: "What to do about Cunningham Bridge?". April 9, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
   • 2005: "Cunningham Bridge Closed". June 9, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2010. … built in 1894, has a clearance of only 11 feet-7 inches, and has been posted at three tons maximum load.
   • 2007: "Cunningham Bridge meeting tonight". May 22, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2010. … built in 1884 … carried less than 200 vehicles on a daily basis. The total length of the structure is 256 feet. The width of the bridge is 13 feet 8 inches.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. Patricia A. Remy (July 1982). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania MPS Bridge in Cumberland Township. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 7, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
4. "Adams County". BridgeHunter.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
5. Burger, T.W. (August 18, 1996). "Adams County Historical Society". Evening Sun.