Pennsylvania's Most Historic Bridge

Covered bridges were once plentiful in Pennsylvania, a part of our nation’s past heritage. Today, only a few remain. One located near Gettysburg in Cumberland Township has earned the moniker Pennsylvania’s Most Historic Bridge. It is the Sachs Covered Bridge. The bridge is named for John Sachs, who later owned the surrounding property. 

The Sachs Bridge was built in 1852, designed and overseen by engineer David Stoner, a local builder. At the time, a bridge was needed to span the expansive Marsh Creek. At the time, the land was owned by John Pfoutz.

The criss-cross, lattice pattern seen in the design is called the Truss Pattern, and forms part of the bridge’s enduring stance. The bridge is made sturdy by the trusses, eliminating the need for arches or other exterior supports. Pegs, called “trunnels”, are used to fasten the wooden lattices together.

It was also called by the people of Gettysburg in times past as the Marsh Creek Bridge. When John Sachs purchased the acreage that included the bridge, the bridge was known thereafter as the Sachs Bridge.

The bridge spans one hundred feet across, and is fifteen feet wide – large enough for wagons to cross the expansive Marsh Creek.

The bridge’s history is contemporary with the Battle of Gettysburg, which occurred in early July 1863. Both Union and Confederate troops used the bridge when arriving at the battlefield. On July 1, 1863, Union forces that included the brigades of Roy Stone and Chapman Biddle crossed the bridge, as well as Cooper’s Pennsylvania Battery. They retreated another way, through town, as the Confederates carried the first day and took over the surrounding lands.

After midnight, as July 1 turned into July 2, Union General A.A. Humphreys, who commanded a division in the Federal Third Corps, marched his troops in the pre-dawn hours from Emmitsburg to Gettysburg via the Fairfield Road. When approaching the Black Horse Tavern, he learned from a local in the vicinity that Confederate troops nearly surrounded the area. Humphreys quickly led his troops away, and they crossed the Sachs Bridge in perpetual quiet, reaching the battlefield before dawn.

Since the Confederate troops held Seminary Ridge and all points west of it during the conflict, Longstreet’s Corps also utilized the bridge to reach their deployment for the July 2 battle. The last of Longstreet’s men, Pickett’s Division, also crossed the bridge in part, as the recent rains had made Marsh Creek excessively deep. These troops also filled their canteens with the water from this ample source. 

After Pickett’s Charge failed, many wounded surrounded the banks of Marsh Creek and the historic Sachs Bridge. Because homes and barns were few in relation to the need to house the many wounded, some lay prone near the banks of Marsh Creek and the historic bridge. Burial spots for some of Pickett’s men lie not far from the bridge and Marsh Creek.

In the early years of the 20th century, carriages and early automobiles crossed the Sachs Bridge. 

In 1938, with the collapse of many covered bridges due to the ravages of time, the sturdy Sachs Bridge remained. In that year the bridge was named “Pennsylvania’s Most Historic Bridge” because of the connection to the famous Battle of Gettysburg.

In order to preserve the historic structure, in 1967 the Sachs Bridge was closed to automobile and other gasoline-powered vehicles, leaving only pedestrian access.

In January 1996 there was excessive snowfall – over forty inches – in two days of blizzard conditions. The snow and ice remained for most of the winter. The spring thaw saturated the ground considerably. In June that year, heavy rains caused excessive flooding, and the ground was incapable of absorbing the surge of water. The surrounding creeks rose dangerously high, including Marsh Creek. On June 19 of that year, the coursing high water lifted the 144-year-old Sachs Bridge off its foundation and carried it downstream, where it suffered considerable damage.

Miraculously, most of the bridge remained intact in spite of the swirling floodwaters. Through the efforts of the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, Adams County residents and local merchants, funds were raised to restore the historic bridge to its original position. By the following year, the Sachs Bridge was returned to its foundation, and most of what we see today is original to what it was in 1852. The bridge looks almost identical to the days when Union and Confederate soldiers crossed it enroute to their historic battle.

To reach the Sachs Bridge, follow the Millerstown Road from the Peach Orchard past the Eisenhower National Historic Site. The bridge is approximately five miles from the Emmitsburg Road and Millerstown Road intersection. The bridge is located on Waterworks Road, which crosses the Millerstown Road. In crossing Marsh Creek while on Millerstown Road, the bridge can be seen to the left. It is available for only pedestrian traffic.

Visitors will see a multitude of wildlife around the bridge, including a variety of fish, fowl, snakes and other reptiles, deer and other mammals. Be sure to visit during daylight hours.

It is significant and appropriate that Pennsylvania’s most historic bridge and Gettysburg are inseparably connected.