The 1839 Smith Covered Bridge was built as a covered, one-lane wooden span over the Brandywine River in New Castle County just south of the Pennsylvania line.

Smith's bridge was destroyed in 1961 when it was set on fire the night before Halloween of 1961. The Delaware Department of Transportation rebuilt the bridge without a cover.

There were once 26 covered bridges in Delaware. Only two "original" bridges remain standing. One is the Ashland Bridge at the Ashland Nature Center and Wooddale Bridge on Rolling Mill Road off Del. Route 48 in New Castle County. 

The "new" Smith Bridge, which spans the Brandywine River, was "rebuilt" in the spirit of the original covered bridge for $1.2 million. The 143-foot-long and 15-foot-wide bridge was constructed with new steel beams, a wooden deck and roof, and other aesthetic repairs. The piers and abutments were repaired, and the curved approaches were "smoothed," allowing a better view of traffic approaching from both sides.

The original Smith Bridge was destroyed by fire on Halloween night in 1961, reconstructed without cover in 1962, and then reconstructed with Burr trusses and cover in 2002. Not truly authentic, as the Burr arches don't go into the abutments, and steel I-beams support the bridge. It is also called the Brandywine Creek Bridge.  Currently, it has an average of 2,094 vehicles daily.

The design of the bridge was provided by members of a group interested in preserving the historic look of the bridge. Their insistence on keeping Smith Bridge true to its history has resulted in what is most definitely one of the very few one-lane-covered bridges that will be built in the 21st century.

The two images included with the bridge looking like it is floating were taken during 2021's Hurricane Ida, when Smith's bridge was in danger of actually being washed away.  These two photos were originally published in local Delaware publications.

Located at:  N39 50.266   W75 34.743       -        WGCB #08-02-01#2

Photographed in the summer of 2008

Photos by Millard Farmer