Uhlerstown

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Uhlerstown's Covered Bridge is the only wooden structure spanning part of the original Delaware River canal system. It is also the only Bucks County covered bridge with side windows.

The village where Uhlerstown sits was first called Mexico and its name was changed to honor Michael Uhler, a canal boat builder, and entrepreneur who also was the village postmaster. In fact, Uhler also owned the entire town until his death in 1896 at the age of 80.

Uhler came to the village in 1853, and the county accepted a petition from residents to build the bridge in 1855, to replace a previous bridge.

Uhler’s businesses in the village included lime kilns, a grist mill, a hay press, and stores. An 1876 map shows a mill and a store sat on each end of the covered bridge. In 1887, Uhler employed an estimated 100 people and they were closely linked to the canal system.

After Uhler’s death, the entire town was sold twice to private parties. An interesting footnote to Uhler’s public service legacy came in 1884, when his wife, Hannah, was accused of opening mail in her husband’s possession as postmaster, reading the mail, and re-sealing the envelopes. Despite a U.S. commission’s claims, Hannah Uhler was found not guilty.

In the 1920s as the canal era ended, Uhlerstown became a summer retreat for people who lived in cities. By 1937, a third of its property was owned by city residents.

Uhlerstown's Covered Bridge has the distinction of being listed twice on the National Register of Historic Places, first as part of a covered bridge survey in 1980 and then as part of the Uhlerstown Historic District in 2012.