“A bridge across the Potomac river, from a point opposite Berlin”
Presented by H. Bruce Funk
Brunswick Historian
Sunday, May 17, at 2:00 p.m.
St. James United Church of Christ,
10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville VA
On Sunday, May 17 (not the Second Sunday, but the third, due to Mothers Day), the Lovettsville Historical Society will hear the story of the first bridge across the Potomac between Berlin (now Brunswick) and the Lovettsville area.
From early colonial times, up into the mid-19th century, ferries were counted upon for river crossings.
In 1847, a bridge company was created, but its proposed bridge was never built.
Then, in 1854, the Loudoun and Berlin Bridge Company was created, with $30,000 coming from the Commonwealth of Virginia. It would happen this time. A man named Wenner owned the best area for the bridge to be built. His cousin did his business on the canal in Berlin. The bridge that they planned would be a covered, wooden Howe truss, about 1600 feet long, built at the level of the C & O Canal. It would be constructed of the best grade of white pine, resting on eight river piers and end abutments.
The bridge officially opened in July of 1857. How long would this bridge, “built of the best materials,” last?
Come on May 17 to hear Bruce Funk tell the rest of the story. Funk is both a member of the Brunswick History Commission, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Lovettsville Historical Society. In 2025, he was a recipient of the Brunswick Distinguished Citizen Award. He has also written five volumes on the history of Berlin/Brunswick.
Admission to our lectures is free, but donations are welcome to defray expenses of the program and to support the activities of the Lovettsville Historical Society.