The Barryville–Shohola Bridge is the fifth generation of bridges constructed over the Delaware River at the communities of Shohola Township, Pennsylvania and Barryville, New York. The bridge serves both communities, with two major state legislative highways, Pennsylvania Traffic Route 434 and New York State Touring Route 55 (along with the co-designation of Sullivan County Route 11). The bridge itself is long and is wide, using four total spans across the river. It is maintained by the NY–PA Joint Interstate Bridge Commission, which is jointly owned by the states of New York and Pennsylvania.
The area of the bridge itself dates as a ford for Native Americans, mostly the Lenni Lenapi, traveling between from the Wyoming valley and Delaware Valley and present-day Connecticut in the early 18th century; archaeologists date human habitation and use of the area to 10,900 BCE. The river at Shohola, which means "place of peace," widens perceptibly above the falls, allowing for a natural, shallow crossing. By the early 19th century, a ferry facilitated crossing the river. Due to the construction of the nearby Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1827, commerce and business boomed in the area. In 1856, a bridge company, under the leadership of Chauncey Thomas, constructed a span between the two communities, but it was poorly designed and collapsed during a windstorm in 1859. Thomas then constructed a suspension bridge, but its cables snapped in 1865.
In 1866, the bridge was reconstructed as a two-lane, single span wooden suspension structure and remained in use for over seventy years. Ownership changed several times, eventually ending with the bridge in the control of the Joint Delaware River Bridge Commission. The bridge was replaced again in 1941 for $174,300 (1941 USD ($ in )), with a steel truss span. This structure lasted another sixty-five years, finally deteriorating until the demolition of the structure in 2007, upon completion of the new bridge.
Early history Originally the site of a ford, the area was used by the Lenni Lenape and Delawares on their way to and from the shores of present-day Long Island Sound. The original trail followed the Shohola Creek, where it enters the Delaware, to a location along the eastern bank of the river near Shohola. By the end of the 18th century, European settlers operated a ferry near the current span, crossing between Shohola to a settlement on the opposite bank, that later became Barryville. The 1827 construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal and the subsequent construction of the Erie Railroad in 1849) accentuated the need for a bridge to accommodate the increase in population and business in the area.
First two spans (1856–1865)
As the need for a bridge from Shohola to Barryville grew, the Shohola and Barryville Bridge Company, formed in 1854, planned the construction of the first bridge. The company's president, Chauncey Thomas, attempted to hire John Augustus Robeling, a bridge expert, who was building a bridge in the Niagara region of New York and Canada (which came to be known as the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge), which was to be built as an two-deck span over the Niagara River, and who had completed successful spans over the rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Roebling declined the offer but gave Thomas verbal and written instructions on its construction during a visit to the Niagara construction site. Thomas returned to Shohola and supervised the construction himself, using some inexperienced local men he hired. A respected historian, John Willard Johnston, who knew Chauncey Thomas personally, visited the bridge and told the owner at the time that Thomas was very inexperienced in bridge construction. The result of the construction was a wide, double-span bridge that was long but which had no underlying span support. The bridge stood above the waters of the Delaware to avoid flooding, and cost a total of $9,000 (1856 USD ($ in ). The rapid growth of the area due to the construction of the Canal and the Erie Railroad meant the bridge was immediately in heavy use.
Thomas' wire-rope span bridge was damaged by a severe wind storm on July 2, 1859, exactly three years after it opened. The storm, which destroyed almost the entire bridge, was not a singular experience. Wind storms often build in the river valley, bring strong winds down the valley against weaker pressure systems to the south and east. A man and a woman who were crossing the bridge were injured when it collapsed. The local ferry, which had been out of commission for only three years, was still in good condition and re-fitted for use in 1859, to operate along the remaining abutments and piers that survived the storm.
The bridge was rebuilt quickly, again under the supervision of Thomas, who was still company president. Thomas was able to complete the bridge, and ended up raising a total cost for construction of $4,000 (1859 USD ($ in ))), an expedient necessitated by the lack of funds in the company treasury. Shortly after the new construction, Thomas was replaced by James E. Gardner as company president; Gardner died soon after his election, and was succeeded by Napoleon B. Johnson. Johnson ran the bridge company well, and remained as president of the corporation for several years. However, on January 1, 1865, the cables snapped under the weight of mules and wagons, and the entire bridge fell into the river, injuring the wagoners, and drowning three of the mules. Once again, ferries filled the needs that were previously fulfilled by the suspension bridge.
Third span (1866–1939) With the second span of the Barryville–Shohola Suspension Bridge having fallen into the Delaware River in 1865, the bridge company that maintained the span fell into a financial depression. After the destruction of the second span, company president Johnson had borrowed money for the company itself that he was unable to pay back. In 1865, company had no funds to repair the partially collapsed bridge, nor credit to borrow any. The former president Chauncey Thomas bought the bankrupt company in a sheriff's sale for $1,979 (1865 USD ($ in )). Thomas was now the sole owner of the wrecked bridge.
To repair the bridge, Thomas would need to receive and pay more money, and he did. Along with the complete repair in 1866, another pier was added to increase the stability of the weak structure. The 1866 construction was considerably stronger, compared to the two previous spans, due to major renovations. The old cables that snapped had been replaced by newer, stronger ones. Thomas also gave the span a new deck floor, a bridge railing and new stringers. The bridge was much better cared for this time around, as it also survived a local flood in 1903 and an icestorm in the early months of spring 1904.
Chauncey Thomas died at his home in Shohola on October 5, 1882, sixteen years after the new bridge was repaired. Since Thomas had never written a will, estate and property were divided between his children and his grandchildren. A friend to the Thomas family, Stephen St. John Gardiner, became the administrator of the estate. With the job, Gardiner was able to buy the bridge. He became controller and majority of the bridge's stock.
By the start of the 20th century, regional economic conditions changed. The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company had closed, as had local logging and mining companies. Shohola and Barryville had become summer resorts and the now-aging antique bridge had become a local picturesque attraction for out-of-town visitors. On June 26, 1920, the suspension bridge was bought by the Joint Bridge Commission of Pennsylvania and New York for $22,600.00 (1923 USD ($ in )). Half of the $22,600.00 was to be paid for by the state of New York, the other by Pennsylvania. The toll that was used on the span was removed. The single-lane, aging structure, now owned by the commission, served the local residents well into the new century. However, the old age of the bridge showed on the bridge itself. In 1939, the commission closed off the structurally deficient bridge to traffic, and began looking into ways to build a new bridge in the area. In 1940, the bridge was reopened for light, local car traffic. but demolished in 1941, when the fourth and then-newest span of the bridge was opened.
Fourth span (1941–2007) Replacement proposals (1936–1939)
Proposals for a new bridge between Barryville and Shohola were developed in March 1936. With the deteriorating condition of the suspension bridge, the Interstate Bridge Committee of New York and Pennsylvania would invest money replacing the structure. The urgency of a new bridge was added due to high traffic rate off State Route 97 in Barryville. Along with the reconstruction of the Lordville–Equinunk Bridge and the Kellams Bridge and painting of several other bridges, the expenditure would cost at least $500,000 (1936 USD, in 2025). The Committee already had provisional approval for the money from Arthur Brandt of the New York State Highway Department.
By May 1936, officials of the Pennsylvania State Highway Department approved plans for the construction of a new bridge. A new bridge would be built downstream from the current structure and at a wider point in the river. The new bridge would be a steel open-top bridge that would be wide and almost long. The bridge have a footpath for pedestrians to use. Sullivan County engineers noted that drilling was underway to ensure the safety of a bridge at the new location and that the construction would involve 70–80 workers from New York and Pennsylvania. This was as part of an agreement for the approval of the new structure.
In late June 1936, President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill to allow the commission to build a new bridge between Barryville and Shohola.
No construction was started in 1936. In January 1937, the Commission announced that they would begin construction of the new bridge in the spring of 1937. Changes were made to the design of the new bridge. The new bridge would be long and wide. would be used for vehicles, making it wide enough for two cars to pass each other. The footpath would make the rest of the of the width. With construction of the new bridge, several properties in Barryville would have to be condemned, including a local store. Both states would pay half the cost for construction of the new steel bridge.
Construction did not begin in the Spring of 1937, and on July 26, Albert G. Rutherford (R–Honesdale), requested that the United States Congress extend the deadline for construction of the new bridge. The bill passed the United States House of Representatives and was moved to the Senate in August 1937. The official reaso nfor the delay was issues with the acquisition of land on the new location. On August 23, President Roosevelt signed the legislation to extend the timeline of the bridge authorization.
The request for bids on a new bridge came at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1939. Less than a week later, Fred Kessler, a contractor from Northumberland, Pennsylvania won the bid for the new bridge with a total of $288,000 ($ in 2025). However, despite the bid, the contract had not been let due to lack of federal funds available for construction. Rumors also spread that the Pennsylvania Railroad Commission would have to agree to eliminate the crossing of the Erie Railroad at this location before construction could begin.
Emergency closure (1939–1940)