About
Sam Wagner Covered Bridge, also called the Gottlieb Brown Covered Bridge, carries Bridge Road over Chillisquaque Creek east of Potts Grove. It spans the line between Liberty Township in Montour County and East Chillisquaque Township in Northumberland County. The Burr arch truss bridge was built in 1881 and is 86 feet 8 inches long according to its National Register nomination. It carries one lane of vehicle traffic.
History
George W. Keefer built the bridge in 1881 near the old Gottlieb Brown farm, according to the nomination. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1979. Gribblenation reports that the bridge was rehabilitated in 1985: Northumberland and Montour counties, which jointly own it, each pledged $17,500, and the Robert Newton firm of Watsontown won the repair contract. The work included disassembling the bridge's joints and replacing some timber.
Design
The nomination describes a multiple kingpost truss with a two member Burr arch straddling the truss work on each side. It records a clear span of 74 feet 9 inches, a total length of 86 feet 8 inches, a structure width of 18 feet 6 inches and a vertical clearance of 13 feet. Gribblenation gives the length as 95 feet.
Visiting
The bridge is on Bridge Road near Potts Grove. Gribblenation (January 2022) reports that it serves one lane of vehicle traffic with a 3 ton weight limit.
Sources: Covered Bridges of Northumberland County, NRHP nomination, Gottlieb Brown Covered Bridge, Wikipedia, Sam Wagner Covered Bridge, Gribblenation
Photo: Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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