The Larkin Covered Bridge is a , Burr truss wooden covered bridge that is located outside of

Chester Springs Chester Springs is an unincorporated community in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is centered on West Pikeland Township, and extends into Charlestown Township, Upper Uwchlan Township, Wallace Township, East Nantmeal Township, ...

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, near the village of Eagle. The bridge, which originally crossed over Marsh Creek, now spans a dry ditch and is a feature of the Upper Uwchlan Township trail system.

History

The original bridge was built in 1854 to span Marsh Creek, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the east branch of the Brandywine Creek, beside Jesse Larkin's

Gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

near the village of Milford Mills, southwest of its current location. The bridge was rebuilt in 1881. In 1972, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the Larkin Bridge and relocated it to the north prior to the evacuation of Milford Mills and the creation of

Marsh Creek Lake Marsh Creek Lake is a man-made lake that resulted from the construction of a dam across Marsh Creek, filling a valley that prompted the relocation of residents from Milford Mills, Pennsylvania to higher ground. The reasons for creating the lake ...

Marsh Creek State Park Marsh Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Upper Uwchlan and Wallace Townships, Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is the location of the man-made Marsh Creek Lake. With an average depth of 40 feet (73 fe ...

. The bridge was used as a

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

crossing between two day camps in the new state park. Larkin Bridge was 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 ...

in 1980. ''Note:'' This includes In 1998, Upper Uwchlan Township acquired the bridge and, in 2006, the township government worked with developers (

Toll Brothers Toll Brothers is a company which designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges financing for residential and commercial properties in the United States. In 2020, the company was the fifth largest home builder in the United States, based on home ...

, Orleans and K. Hovnanian) to dismantle and relocate the bridge. Larkin Covered Bridge was rebuilt on the trail path next to the entrance to the Byers Station

housing development A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

on Graphite Mine Road near the village of Eagle.

Gallery

File:Larkin Covered Bridge.JPG, Larkin Covered Bridge September 2010

References

{{Chester Springs, Pennsylvania Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Covered bridges in Chester County, Pennsylvania Bridges completed in 1881 Wooden bridges in Pennsylvania Bridges in Chester County, Pennsylvania 1881 establishments in Pennsylvania Relocated buildings and structures in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Chester County, Pennsylvania Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Burr Truss bridges in the United States