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Hubler Road or Lewisburg Penitentiary, Union 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/38-60-05
County: Union County
Township: Kelly
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Hubler Road or Lewisburg Penitentiary
Crosses: Little Buffalo Creek
Truss type: Modified Multiple King
Spans: 1
Length: 33'
Roadway Width: 15'
Built: 1850
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N40 59.163
Longitude: W076 55.671
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 1.0 miles west of jct US15 on William Penn Dr. (SR1018), then 0.2 miles left on Circle Dr., then 1.3 miles left on Sanford Bates Rd. Northwest of Lewisburg.

Hubler or Lewisburg Penitentiary Bridge, Kelly, Union County, PA. Built 1850
Richard Donovan / Trish Kane Collection

Hubler or Lewisburg Penitentiary Bridge, Kelly, Union County, PA. Built 1850
Jenn Caswell Photo, May 4, 2015

Hubler or Lewisburg Penitentiary Bridge, Kelly, Union County, PA. Built 1850
Bill Caswell Photo, May 4, 2015

Hubler or Lewisburg Penitentiary Bridge, Kelly, Union County, PA. Built 1850
Herbert Richter Photo, 1957, NSPCB Archives
Hubler or Lewisburg Penitentiary Bridge, Kelly, Union County, PA. Built 1850
Jeff Smith Photo, Spring 2025

Comments:
4-panel truss. The bridge is half on private farm property and half on federal penitentiary land. It has a regular Multiple Kingpost Truss sandwiched by extra timbers taking the shape of an inverted "V" which act with the truss similar to a Burr Arch. It is located approximately 150' upstream from the mouth of Little Buffalo Creek into Buffalo Creek. The road which crosses is found on the 1868 atlas paralleling the east bank of Buffalo Creek coming off William Penn Drive (SR1018 - LR59021) then northwest to Strawbridge Road (T450), although much of this road no longer exists from the bridge to Strawbridge Road. Some maps are calling the road Sanford Bates Drive. A photo from the spring of 2025 shows that the floor has been removed.

Sources:
Evans, Benjamin D. & June R.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges, 2001, page 265
Moll, Fred J.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges - Our Heritage, 2004, pages 18, 130-131
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, October 2006
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 131

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