Rapps Bridge, also known as Rapps Dam Bridge, is one of fifteen surviving historic wooden

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

s in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

. Rapps Bridge is located on Rapps Dam Road in East Pikeland Township. It 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 1973.

History and notable features

This bridge is a ,

Burr truss The Burr Arch Truss—or, simply, Burr Truss or Burr Arch—is a combination of an arch and a ''multiple kingpost'' truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridges ...

bridge that was constructed in 1866 by Benjamin F. Hartman. It has

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

abutments, horizontal siding and boxed cornices with returns at its portals. It is one of three covered bridges that cross French Creek, the others being Hall's Bridge and Kennedy Bridge. ''Note:'' This includes It was listed on the

in 1973. The Rapps Bridge was renovated in 1978 and again in 2011 for approximately 1.5 million dollars. On April 29, 2014, the bridge was heavily damaged when a tractor trailer crossed it. It re-opened in October 2015.Newspaper story about the accident
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References

{{NRHP bridges Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Covered bridges in Chester County, Pennsylvania Bridges completed in 1866 Wooden bridges in Pennsylvania Bridges in Chester County, Pennsylvania 1866 establishments 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