Where's Marty? Learning about the Parkton Stone Arch Bridge
Hi everyone!
Today we went out to Gunpowder Falls State Park near Parkton where you can find the state's oldest bridge. It is currently closed to traffic but is located at the end of Old Frederick Road, just off the Torrey Brown NCR Trail, where there is parking available.
The Parkton Stone Arch Bridge was built in 1809. All of the stone used in its construction was quarried nearby, thousands of pounds of it. That year, James Madison had just been inaugurated as our fourth president. At the time, York Road (which this bridge was part of back then) was the way to head north.
Historical figures in those days would have had to cross it to travel to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and pay homage to the political machine up there. You could walk across the Little Falls River, which runs underneath it, but a carriage was needed on that road.
We have so much history in Maryland and something as small as a bridge can get quite a bit of discussion going.
Here's the website for the Maryland State Archives resources on the state's bridges. It has a link to the many covered bridges we had here, some of which are still standing. County by county, you can learn about the bridges that made early transportation possible.
Have a great weekend! Find ya some fun and be safe!
- Marty B!
