Creasyville Covered Bridge

About Creasyville Covered Bridge

Creasyville Covered Bridge, built in 1881, is a charming 44.5-foot Queen Post span that crosses Little Fishing Creek at its furthest upstream location among the three covered bridges on this waterway. Despite being one of the shorter covered bridges in Columbia County, Creasyville Bridge has earned special recognition, being featured as the 2025 edition of the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau's annual covered bridge puzzle. The bridge is located in a beautiful narrow valley surrounded by productive farmland, creating particularly photogenic scenes that have made it popular with photographers and visitors. The compact span demonstrates how Queen Post truss design could be effectively used for shorter creek crossings.

History

Constructed in 1881, Creasyville Covered Bridge represents the later era of traditional covered bridge construction in Pennsylvania when iron and steel bridges were becoming common in urban areas but wooden covered bridges remained practical for rural creek crossings. The bridge was named after the nearby community of Creasyville and served local farming families for over 140 years. The 1880s were a prosperous period for Columbia County agriculture, and reliable bridges like this one were essential infrastructure connecting farms with markets and communities. The bridge's location upstream on Little Fishing Creek meant it served a more rural agricultural area than the downstream bridges. Despite its modest size, the bridge has been carefully maintained and continues serving local traffic today. Its selection as the 2025 covered bridge puzzle demonstrates the community's affection for this small but charming structure.

Architecture

The 44.5-foot bridge employs a Queen Post truss design, a relatively simple but effective structural system appropriate for shorter spans. The Queen Post truss uses vertical support posts combined with diagonal bracing to create a sturdy framework capable of supporting traffic loads. The bridge features traditional red weatherboard siding with white-trimmed portals following Pennsylvania covered bridge aesthetic conventions. Hand-hewn timber structural members are joined using mortise-and-tenon connections secured with wooden pegs. The compact span demonstrates the efficiency of the Queen Post design for crossings under 50 feet. The bridge's small size and Queen Post construction make the interior structural system easy to observe and understand, providing an excellent example of this truss type for visitors interested in covered bridge engineering.

Visiting

Creasyville Covered Bridge is located in a narrow valley approximately 4.5 miles south of Route 118. The bridge is surrounded by beautiful farmland that creates particularly attractive photographic settings. Ample roadside pull-off space is available for parking, though visitors should be careful not to block the driveway of the nearby house. The bridge continues to carry vehicle traffic across Little Fishing Creek in a peaceful rural setting. As the 2025 covered bridge puzzle featured bridge, Creasyville has gained special recognition and popularity with collectors and covered bridge enthusiasts. The surrounding agricultural valley provides excellent photography opportunities, especially during spring planting or autumn harvest seasons when the working farmland is most active. The bridge can be combined with visits to the other two Little Fishing Creek covered bridges - Sam Eckman and Jud Christian - which are located downstream. These three bridges are all located in the northwestern part of Columbia County near the Lycoming County border. Best visited April through November when weather permits comfortable exploration and the agricultural landscape is at its most scenic.