Built for the County by workers under David Stoner in 1852, the Sachs Bridge is an Adams County landmark. It was crossed by both armies during the battle of Gettysburg in 1863, and carried parts of the Army of Northern Virginia as it retreated. Before its 1996-97 rehabilitation, its deck was supported by a truss-lattice based on a design by architect Ithiel Town.
After it washed nearly 100 yards downstream in a flooded Marsh Creek on June 18, 1996, workers salvaged the Sachs Bridge. Within a year it again bridged the creek, with over 90% of its original truss and lattice intact. Its rehabilitation shows the benefits of an effective partnership between people and government. The County worked with many individuals and groups to preserve this part of its history.
The preservation of Adams County's historic and agricultural resources reinforces our sense of place in the world and our understanding of our history. It resists the homogenization so common in modern society and the resulting "geography of nowhere." As recently as the 1930s there were nearly 900 covered bridges in Pennsylvania, the most in the United States. Twenty-four stood in Adams County. Now, only three covered bridges survive in Adams County, with only a few more than 200 in Pennsylvania. They stand as silent documents of the state's rural history.
What keepsakes do you and your family preserve? What historic resources should we preserve? For what reasons?
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