The Howellville Truss Bridge is a great example of a Warren Pony Truss bridge, originally built in 1879 to serve the Northern Central Railway, which ran between Baltimore, Maryland, and Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
A Warren Pony Truss is a design where the truss members form a series of triangles, creating a strong yet lightweight structure. The “pony truss” part means the road passes underneath the truss without any vertical bracing connecting the top chords, making it a low but open structure.
An image of the poster for Trusses: A Study by the Historic American Engineering Record National Park Service, Arnold David Jones, 1976, HAER TI-1, loc.gov/pictures/item/97515080, edited for emphasis.
As transportation evolved, the Howellville bridge needed to be replaced around 1902. Instead of being scrapped, it was moved and repurposed as a road bridge over the Trenton Cut-Off, a Pennsylvania freight line created to bypass Philadelphia. During this phase, it became known as the Howellville Truss, named after its location near the town of Howellville in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
But time marched on, and once again, the Howellville bridge found itself outdated and unable to keep up with the advances in automobiles. Still, its historical significance as a Warren Pony Truss bridge was undeniable.
Howellville Bridge over Norfolk Southern Railroad in Chester County before removal.
A search began to find it a new home where it could be preserved and appreciated for both its engineering and beauty. Just imagine everything this bridge has witnessed over the years. It has stood through the turn of the 20th century. It was first carrying trains before early Ford Model Ts, Cadillacs in the 1930s, Thunderbirds in the 1950s, the muscle cars of the70s, and compact cars in the 2000’s. Think of the thunderstorms that washed it clean and the piles of snow it held that closed down school. People drove over this bridge to get married, to have babies, to go to school, church or work and back home again. Lives were lived over this bridge without probably ever even being realized.
But even with all of her history, by 2019 this incredible bridge was homeless again.
That was until Tioga County heard about the Howellville Truss and knew it would be perfect for a new rails-to-trails project called the Charleston Street Connector. In 2019, an agreement was signed with Tredyffrin Township to officially transfer the ownership. The bridge was carefully loaded onto a truck and made the three-and-a-half-hour journey to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, where it was temporarily stored until the trail project was ready.
Howellville bridge awaiting rehabilitation. Photo courtesy of author.
It took a few years for everything to fall into place, but by early spring of 2024, the time had finally come. The Charleston Street Connector project was designed with the help of Wilson Consulting Group, to link the Pine Creek Rail Trail Trailhead to downtown Wellsboro, creating an important new connection for cyclists and pedestrians.
Before installation, the bridge underwent an evaluation by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) to determine how it could be repaired while staying true to its original design. It was then blasted clean by H&P Construction of Kulpmont, PA to remove rust and corrosion.
Howellville Bridge during rehabilitation. Photo courtesy of author.
New metal was added where holes had developed, and after all repairs were completed, it received a shiny, new coat of black paint and a new concrete deck.
Howellville Bridge placed on new abutments in Tioga County. Photo courtesy of author.
Now known as The Charleston Street Connector Bridge, the former Howellville Truss stands as the crown jewel of the project over Charleston Creek. It welcomes bikes and pedestrians to use the Pine Creek Rail Trail, head into downtown Wellsboro, or explore nearby Tioga, Potter, and Lycoming Counties.
We hope that it stands tall and proud continuing to serve the community for generations to come, just as it has for nearly a century and a half.
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Today’s Guest Contributor is Jen Cochran. Jen was born and raised in Wellsboro PA. She started working for Tioga County straight out of college and has just started her 23rd year with the County. She lives in Wellsboro with her husband Eli, my three mostly grown and wonderful sons and two dogs. When she’s not at work she enjoys gardening, golf and travel. Jen took on this project with the County in 2023 with co- project manager Fred Gorg.
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You should get in contact with Todd Wilson at GAI Consultants. He wrote the book on the history of Bridges in PA, literally! He isn’t a history person per se, he is a Civil Engineer that had an interest in the history of bridges.