Josiah Hess Covered Bridge, Winding Road, Fishing Creek Township, Pennsylvania
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The Josiah Hess Covered Bridge crosses Huntington Creek in North East Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is located along a wooded pathway off Winding Road in Fishing Creek Township. The bridge is also called Laubach Bridge.
The original bridge was built in 1875 by Joseph Redline. It cost $1,349.50 to build. It rests on stone abutments. The wingwalls do not extend above the original road line excepting on the southeast side. The Burr Arch Truss – or simply Burr Truss or Burr Arch – bridge is 105 feet long with vertical board and batten siding.
The Hess family owned a sawmill and small farm nearby. I have been unable to find anything related to how this the bridge got its other name.
Josiah Hess Covered Bridge, Winding Road, Fishing Creek Township, Pennsylvania
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The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 2000. It was completely restored and was rededicated in August 2005, just over a year before these pictures were taken. It is now owned by the Columbia County Covered Bridge Association.
The Josiah Hess Covered Bridge is one of 23 covered bridges in Columbia County, including the Jud Christie Covered Bridge. This is the third largest concentration of these historic bridges in Pennsylvania.
Like all covered bridges, the Josiah Hess Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed in November 1979. Unfortunately, the PDF file for this National Register record has not yet been digitized.
The most comprehensive guide for finding and/or learning about Covered Bridges in this area is Pennsylvania’s Covered Bridges: A Complete Guide by Benjamin D. Evans. It was published quite a few years ago now (but is still available on Amazon) but nothing else even comes close.
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