Henszey's Wrought-Iron Arch Bridge, Spanning Ontelaunee Creek at Kings Road, Wanamakers, Lehigh County, PA

Significance: Mosser's Bridge is one of two bowstring arch-truss bridges remaining on state-owned highways and roads in Pennsylvania. It is distinguished by a variety of unusual features, including top chords fashioned from two Phoenix sections, a system of camber rods below the bottom chord which serve to deepen each truss and thereby limit deflection, and camber rods beneath each floor beam which reduce the lateral movement of the top chords under live loads. This single span was originally erected in 1869 as part of a two-span bowstring arch-truss which carried Main Street over Trout Creek in Slatington, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The ironwork was supplied by the Continental Bridge Company of Philadelphia, and erected under the supervision of local bridge contractor Daniel Beidelman. In 1900, this span was relocated to its present site by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where it served the transportation needs of the rural agricultural community in the Ontelaunee Creek valley.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N174
Survey number: HAER PA-209
Building/structure dates: 1869 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1900