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Gudgeonville, Erie County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: PA/38-25-03x
County: Erie County
Township: Girard
Town/Village: Girard
Bridge Name: Gudgeonville
Crosses: Elk Creek
Truss type: Multiple King
Spans: 1
Length: 72' or 86'
Roadway Width: 14'
Built: c1868
Builder: William Sherman
When Lost: 08 Nov 2008
Cause: Arson
Latitude: N41 58.92
Longitude: W080 15.99
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 1.2 miles east of jct PA18 (north) on US20, then 1.8 miles right on Tannery Rd. (CR3018), 0.8 miles right on Beckman Rd. (T547) and 0.7 miles right on Gudgeonville Rd. (T400).

Gudgeonville Bridge, Girard, Erie County, PA. Built c1868
Todd Clark Collection

Gudgeonville Bridge, Girard, Erie County, PA. Built c1868
Bill Caswell Photo, July 2007

Gudgeonville Bridge, Girard, Erie County, PA. Built c1868
G. Chaplin Photo, July 10, 1986, NSPCB Archives

Gudgeonville Bridge, Girard, Erie County, PA. Built c1868
Richard Donovan / Trish Kane Collection

Comments:
The Gudgeonville Bridge caught fire around 1:40 am local time on November 8, 2008. On December 17, the State Police arrested two suspects after they confessed to dousing the bridge in gasoline and setting it on fire. The suspects were also involved in several other incidents in northern Crawford County and western Erie County. In August 2009, one of the arsonists was convicted and sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison for the destruction of the bridge and for an unrelated charge. The other arsonist was sentenced to 5 1⁄2 to 14 years for the fire and for a string of other crimes. The charred remains of this bridge were removed in January 2009.

Sources:
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges, 2001, page 129
Cohen, Joseph. World Guide to Covered Bridges updated to November 2002, 2002
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, June 2008
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, May 2008

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