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Clapper Bridge

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Early 19th century. Over a tributary of Tunkhannock Creek, just west of PA 2067, 0.7 miles south of PA 92
  • (William E. Fischer, Jr.)
  • (William E. Fischer, Jr.)

While the Starrucca Viaduct's ( SQ16) soaring arches stride across Starrucca Creek near the county's northern border, this clapper bridge barely straddles a tributary to Tunkhannock Creek far to the south. This bridge type with its rare dry-laid rubble corbeled arch is sometimes called a slab bridge because of the large stone slab serving as the arch's keystone. Clapper bridges date to the thirteenth century in England, where “clapper” means “plank” in the Sussex area. Early English clapper bridges, however, are narrow pedestrian bridges on stone piers, not arches. Though the date of this bridge is unknown, it is probably early nineteenth century.

Writing Credits

Author: 
George E. Thomas
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Data

What's Nearby

Bethel Congregational Tabernacle (Welsh Hill Church)
Harford Historical Society
U.S. Post Office
Tyler-Jones House
First Congregational Church

Citation

George E. Thomas, "Clapper Bridge", [Union Dale, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-02-SQ2.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of PA vol 2

Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, George E. Thomas, with Patricia Likos Ricci, Richard J. Webster, Lawrence M. Newman, Robert Janosov, and Bruce Thomas. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 538-538.

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