Cokes Bridge

Information and Findings From Pennsylvania's Historic Bridge Inventory

Discussion of Bridge

The single span, 28'-long, brick arch bridge built in 1904 has fieldstone spandrel walls and parapets. It is supported on stone pier and abutments with U-shaped wingwalls and parapets enclosing the approach roadways. In Pennsylvania, the brick arch was never a widely popular bridge type, with over two-thirds of the 25 extant examples from 1864 to 1908 in the three southeastern counties of Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia. A cluster of 9 examples in Chester County date from 1901 to 1908. Chester County has more brick arch bridges than any other county in the state. They were built under the supervision of Chester County Engineer Nathan R. Rambo, who favored masonry arches at a time when other county engineers were turning to reinforced concrete. The choice of brick arch bridges reflected as much a desire to build a bridge type that required little in the way of formal engineering design or calculations, as it did an aesthetic decision. The handsome brick arch bridges offered low maintenance costs and permanency. Complete and particularly well detailed examples are technologically significant in the county and regional contexts.

Discussion of Surrounding Area

The bridge carries a 2 lane road over a stream in a settiing of horse farms and estate houses with large lawns and pastures. Approximately 1000' east of the bridge is an early 20th century estate house with a long lawn overlooking the bridge. Approximately 1000' to the southwest is an early 19th century brick residence and farm complex.

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: Yes