Emlenton Bridge, Spanning Allegheny River, Travel Route 38 (Legislative Route 75), Emlenton, Venango County, PA

Significance: The existing Emlenton Bridge is significant in the areas of engineering and transportation, specifically for its age, size, type of truss, length of truss for this age, and material. The bridge was built in 1883 and has survived with its original Whipple trusses. Also referred to as double-intersection Pratt trusses, these spans are particularly long for this period. The substantial spans and deep truss account for the double-intersection configuration, which is used for greater strength. The original wrought-iron construction is also significant. The Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, was a prolific bridge building company in the 1800s, building bridges not only in the United States, but also in Canada and Mexico. The Emlenton Bridge is pictured in the company's 1885 catalog. The bridge currently has good integrity, with its portal ornament, erector's and county plaques, data plates, and decorative end lacing still in place. Historically, the structure has provided a local crossing over the Allegheny River in the same location as an earlier covered bridge and ferry. It became the first free bridge crossing the river in Venango County.
Survey number: HAER PA-101
Building/structure dates: 1883 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1913 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1952 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1965 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1941-1942 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1945 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1952 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1965 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1979 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1983