While on a road trip through Chester County in Pennsylvania we stumbled upon the historic Gibson's Covered Bridge that spans over the east branch of Brandywine Creek. It's officially known as Chester County Bridge #120 according to the information plaque located inside the bridge.
It was built in 1872 and rehabilitated in 2003. It's a 98 foot long Burr Truss designed bridge. It is currently open to the public with one way traffic through it. On the one side of the bridge there's a pull-off area that you can park in. The clearance is 9 foot tall according to the posted signage.
When walking inside the bridge you'll find a large information plaque that contains official information on it. There's a window built into the design where you can stand and look out at the Brandywine Creek that runs underneath it. Stay along the side of the bridge...there's not a lot of room inside there for pedestrians and a vehicle.
Chester County once had 85 covered bridges in operation with the earliest being built in 1807. As of today, only 15 covered bridges remain in existence. The majority of them were built to facilitate transportation from local mills and agriculture farms to reach the towns and cities located nearby.
In 1980 the Gibson's Covered Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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