The Great Crossings Bridge is a masonry bridge which is on the National Road between Somerset County and Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It crosses the Youghiogheny River near Confluence, Pennsylvania.
History and architectural features
Built during the early nineteenth century, near a ford that had been in use by Europeans since George Washington's 1753 journey to Fort LeBoeuf, the 375-foot (114 m) long, 40-foot (12 m) high, 30-foot (9.1 m) wide sandstone bridge with three arches was erected between 1813 and 1818 by James Kinkead, James Beck and Evan Evans, and was dedicated on July 4, 1818 at an event attended by President James Monroe.[1]
The town of Somerfield, Pennsylvania, which was originally named Smythfield, was built at the eastern end of the bridge in 1817. The bridge and town were later inundated by Youghiogheny River Lake,[1] a reservoir that began filling in 1940.[2]
The bridge remains standing in the reservoir, and may be crossed at times when water levels are low, just downstream from the present U.S. Route 40 bridge.[1][3]
References
- ^ a b c Lowry, Patricia (January 7, 1999). "A bridge to the 19th century". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Heberling, Scott D. (2010). Historic Stone Bridges of Somerset County, Pennsylvania (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-89271-126-0.
- ^ Hay, Dave (January 31, 2019). "History of the Great Crossings Bridge and Youghoigheny River towns". Daily American. Retrieved 27 March 2021.