Of all the historic bridges crossing the Delaware River this one has to stand out as the oddest. A historic pedestrian suspension bridge is quite rare in New Jersey, only the Cranberry Lake bridge predates this one in the state. One look down at the large piers and you’ll quickly realize this is not how this bridge was intended to be. Unfortunately the historic plaque on the bridge does not clearly lay out the history of this crossing, so let me do that now:

1835 a bridge is approved to connect the village of Lumberville on the Pennsylvania side with Raven Rock on the New Jersey side by way of Bull’s Island. Lumberville likely takes its name from the saw mills that sprang up here in the 1700s with the Black Bass Hotel dating from 1740. Raven Rock takes its name from the large rock outcrop. And Bull’s Island is named for Richard Bull who settled here in 1712. Yes, the correct spelling has an apostrophe.

1853 construction began, guess government can run slow in any century, and opened in 1856. This original bridge was a 5-span wooden covered bridge. The 1851 Hunterdon County map identifies the bridge from Ravens Rock to Bull’s Island, but no bridge spanning the river.

1903 one of the central river spans was destroyed in a flood and replaced with a metal truss in 1904.

1944 the wooden structure was deemed unsafe for traffic. For 90 years a wooden bridge spanned the Delaware River, that’s pretty amazing. And I’m sure in 1944 there were those like myself and Shelly making a fuss, saying history needed to be preserved, protesting the removal of the final multispan covered bridge on the lower Delaware, but as we now know, nothing they did in 44 would have saved the bridge from the flood of 1955. Apologies to Shelly for presuming your age, I assumed you were not here in 1944.

1947 the new suspension bridge was constructed by John A. Roebling's Sons Company, the same firm that made the wire cables for the Brooklyn Bridge nearly a century earlier. While the truss elements of the towers are connected via rivets, elsewhere hexagonal bolts are used where the cables connect to other elements, showing a mixture of older and newer design elements. The original abutments and piers were still deemed in good condition and the new bridge was set upon the original stone structures.

1993 the bridge underwent a major rehabilitation.

Gorgeous pedestrian suspension bridge spanning the Delaware between Lumberville, PA, and Raven Rock, NJ. Built by Roebling & Sons of Brooklyn Bridge fame. Absolutely a bucket list bridge for bridge lovers. Breathtaking span in every way. Beautiful historic buildings on either side. Great place to picnic and spend your day.

Nice scenic spot over the Delaware. Windy winds and rushing water. Fun trek across state lines. Nice connection to Bulls Island Recreation Area. Seemingly more parking on the NJ side.

Great local landmark. Nice views of the river. Tow path parks on either side. Lumberville store and Black Bass for food. NJ side is in a nice state park.

Beautiful view on the bridge