Knecht’s

Springfield

Also known as John Slifer’s Bridge, Knecht’s Bridge in Springfield runs over Cook’s (or Durham) Creek and it is owned by Bucks County.

The county commissioners asked for the bridge to be built by October 1873. The specifications called for mostly white oak construction, with white pine and hemlock for the roof.

The bridge was named for County Commissioner John Knecht, who lived in Durham Township. His name is on a bridge marker at the side, along with the names of Benjamin Wiggins and Abraham Thompson, two other commissioners.

Knecht briefly served as a commissioner. After his death in 1884, local newspapers said a special coffin was made to accommodate Knecht’s 450-pound body.

The location of Knecht’s Bridge is on the reported path of the 1737 Walking Purchase when Edward Marshall and James Yates took a break during their controversial “running” walk that defined land taken from the Lenape Indians. The Lenape later killed Marshall’s wife and son as part of the grudge over the Walking Purchase.

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