The Everhart Covered Bridge was built around 1881 to span Little Buffalo Creek in Oliver Township, Perry County.
Mrs. Margaret Wister Meigs, the preserver of Fort Hunter, purchased the bridge in 1941 for $70 because it was slated for demolition.
She moved it to this property, placing it directly on the ground in the Mansion’s front lawn. Her reasons for saving the bridge are clearly and simply stated in her letters.
“I bought the covered bridge in order to preserve an interesting historic relic fast disappearing...” In this action she was ahead of her time.
In 1980 Margaret’s children donated the Fort Hunter property to the County of Dauphin. By that time the bridge had deteriorated.
It was dismantled and placed in storage during park development. At the time of the dismantling a bet was made between two of Margaret’s children, Arthur and Wister, as to whether either would see the bridge restored in his lifetime.
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Staff and visitors enjoying the Covered Bridge
on Opening Day 2006 (Photo by Linda Sweger) |
Unfortunately, both have since passed away, but those who remember the wager are happy to see it rebuilt in honor of the gift of Fort Hunter Park by the Meigs family.
Upon recent examination for re-erection, experts discovered many rotted and ruined structural elements, the result of two dismantlings and forty years of sitting on the ground.
These original elements, however, proved invaluable in recreating the current bridge.
As covered bridges go, it is a small bridge - about 44’3” long, 12’4” wide with clearance of 8’6”. It is the type called a “Multiple Kingpost Truss.”
The placement of the bridge is well thought out. Because the bridge is the only structure at Fort Hunter not original to the site, it is separated from the original buildings by a small parking area.
Its placement over a catch basin will make preservation and maintenance of the structure easier. The bridge serves as a trailhead for the circular towpath trail; it will be within site of park rangers, security staff, and other historic structures; and it will be visible to travelers on Front Street.
Funding provided by:
Community Conservation Partnership Program, administered by the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation
PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Dauphin County Commissioners
Board of Trustees for Fort Hunter
Friends of Fort Hunter, Inc.
“Cover the Bridge” fundraiser participants
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of PA, Inc.
Children's activites near the Covered Bridge on Opening Day 2006
(Photo by Julia Hair)
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The original "Wish Sign", with its reproduced counterpart
(Photo by Linda Sweger) |
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