Moving - Academia, Pennsylvania

It is not known when the first bridge at Academia was built, or by whom but it crossed the Tuscarora Creek close to the old mill [Beer’s Mill] that still stands in Academia. The bridge was wooden, as county documents record ‘plank’ repairs in 1870. The bridge was an important one crossing the Tuscarora Creek at this spot. It provided easy access for farmers to the mill as well as access to the village of Academia which had grown up around the Lower Tuscarora Presbyterian Church, the Tuscarora Academy and the Tuscarora Female Seminary.

In March 1901, warm temperatures induced the breakup of ice on the numerous streams and creeks in Juniata County; heavy rains and melting snow added more water to the streams. The resulting ice jams and flood-water did major damage to bridges crossing the Mahantango and Tuscarora Creeks; the Mahantango Creek bridge, at the county line dividing Juniata and Snyder, was swept off its foundation and destroyed. The Pomeroy Bridge, which crossed the Tuscarora Creek, dividing Beale and Spruce Hill Townships was also extensively damaged though apparently it remained on its foundation.

The County Commissioners met at the site of the Pomeroy Bridge on March 18th and found the bridge in an unsafe condition and closed it to the public. One month later the April 11, 1901 Juniata Tribune noted that “the condition of the Pomeroy Bridge hinders a great many people from attending church at Academia”. A later paper also noted that the fording site near the bridge on the Tuscarora Creek was flooded and impassable.

The Commissioners acted swiftly, in conjunction with Snyder County authorities to replace the Mahantango Bridge as a contract was awarded for a new wooden bridge on April 19, 1901. The Commissioners did not act as expeditiously concerning the Pomeroy Bridge, perhaps because they thought it salvageable. In April, repairs were made to the trestle of the Pomeroy Bridge. The minutes of the Commissioner’s June 12th meeting state that they would meet on June 15th “to take action in regard to the building of the Pomeroy Bridge.” But on June 22nd they granted an order for $16.00 to G. F. Goodman for trestling the Pomeroy Bridge. The trestling orders suggest that attempts were made to repair the bridge but no supporting documentation has been found that confirms this possibility. Finally, in December, the county grand jury, with foreman Joseph Landis, approved construction plans for the bridge and the public roads leading to them and on January 20th of 1902 the Commissioners met at the site to “take measurements preparatory to making specifications for bridge” construction.

On February 8th, 1902 the viewers reported “in favor if a public bridge across Tuscarora Creek located and described as follows. “Beginning at a post one hundred and eighty four feet (184 ft.) below the breast of Pomeroy’s Dam on the right bank of said creek thence due west two hundred and seventy feet (270ft.) to a post sixty (60ft) below breast of said dam on left bank of said creek between township of Beale and Spruce Hill to connect