Cope's Bridge is a stone

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

that carries

Strasburg Road Strasburg Road was an early road in Pennsylvania connecting Philadelphia to Strasburg in Lancaster County. The route was surveyed by John Sellers and others in 1772-3 under the colonial administration of Governor Richard Penn and completed unde ...

(

Pennsylvania Route 162 Pennsylvania Route 162 (PA 162) is a state highway in southeast Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 82/ PA 842 in Unionville, Chester County. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 322 Business (US 322 Bus.) in West Chest ...

) across the

East Branch Brandywine Creek The East Branch Brandywine CreekMouth: 39 55'21"N, 75 38'58"W, elevation: 174 ft.; Source: 40 07'09"N,75 53'15"W, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 tr ...

East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania East Bradford Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,308 at the 2020 census. History The Cope's Bridge, Gibson's Covered Bridge, Worth-Jefferis Rural Historic District, Carter-Worth Hous ...

. The bridge is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and is located within the

Taylor–Cope Historic District The Taylor–Cope Historic District is a national historic district that is located in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. History and architectural features ...

. Before the construction of a bridge at this location, the site was known as Taylor's Ford. The original bridge at the site was probably timber, built about 1770, and funded by subscription. This was replaced by another wooden bridge in 1789. A petition to the Court of Chester County in 1804 complained of the decay of the bridge, and asked the county to erect a stone bridge instead. The bridge was built in 1807 and cost $26,911.03. It continues to carry traffic today.

References

External links

* {{NRHP bridges Bridges completed in 1807 Covered bridges in Chester County, Pennsylvania Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Wooden bridges in Pennsylvania