About
The Academia Pomeroy Covered Bridge crosses Tuscarora Creek between Beale and Spruce Hill Townships in Juniata County, near the village of Academia and about a mile east of the Tuscarora Academy. It is a single-lane, two-span Burr truss bridge built in 1902 and 278 ft long portal to portal (the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau gives 271 ft 6 in). It is the longest remaining covered bridge in Pennsylvania. It is closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians.
History
The bridge was built in 1902 to replace an 1870 bridge damaged by flooding. James M. Groninger is listed as its architect. The Juniata County Historical Society has owned it since 1962. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as part of the Covered Bridges of Juniata and Snyder Counties group, and the Historic American Engineering Record documented it (HAER PA-624). A full restoration costing about $1.8 million was completed in 2009.
Design
The Burr truss, developed by Theodore Burr, pairs a long timber arch with a multiple kingpost truss. Academia Pomeroy carries a single lane across two spans.
Visiting
Parking is at the end of Covered Bridge Road, and visitors can walk across the bridge. Signposts at the bridge explain its history, and there is a guest book. The Tuscarora Academy Museum is nearby.
Sources: Academia Pomeroy Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Visiting the Covered Bridges of Juniata County (Uncovering PA), Covered Bridge Tour (Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau)
Photo: Jet Lowe, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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