Wayside: Knox Covered Bridge

The Knox Covered Bridge has a long history of damage and repair.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Along the paved path adjacent to Yellow Springs Road and Valley Creek.

Designation:

Valley Forge Then and Now wayside exhibit

Amenities

2 listed

Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

This picturesque covered bridge, once known as the Valley Forge Dam Bridge, has been used to cross Valley Creek for more than 150 years. In the 1800s, the Valley Forge area boomed with industry and Valley Creek was lined with factories and mills. The original covered bridge was constructed in 1851 but washed away in a flood. The bridge was rebuilt in 1865.

The Knox Covered Bridge has a long history of damage and repair. Over the years it has suffered from fire, flood, vehicle accidents, and fallen trees, but continues to find support in the community for restoration and preservation efforts. Today the bridge is owned and maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which completed repairs in October 2024 after a tree fell through the roof.

Postcards, illustrations, and photographs published in magazines and journals all contribute to the covered bridge’s iconic status at Valley Forge.

Senator Philander Chase Knox, his wife Lillian Smith Knox, and a very good boy (name unknown) pose in front of the covered bridge on the grounds of their estate in the early 1900s.

Tags: valley forge national historical park, knox covered bridge, 50 years of valley forge, valley forge then and now, valley forge 50