National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

Celebrating the Recognition of the Walnut Street Pony Bridge’s Admission to the National Register of Historic Places in Hellertown, PA on October 14 2023.

Hellertown Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce, proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Hellertown Historical Society to celebrate the addition of the Walnut Street “Pony” Bridge into America’s National Register of Historic Places and commemorate the hard work that goes into gaining such a significant designation!    

Celebration and ribbon cutting on October 14th from 12:00-3:00 PM

The celebration and ribbon cutting will take place on October 14th from 12:00-3:00 PM, with a 12:30 PM ceremonial cutting of the ribbon. This event is free and open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.In addition to the ribbon cutting ceremony, there will be live music from The Wonton Soups, the museum will be open for tours, and areas describing the process of getting recognized by the National Register of Historic Places!

Light refreshments will be available, provided by Dana’s Catering. The celebration will occur rain or shine!  

Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

The Walnut Street Bridge – built in 1860 – received recognition on the National Register for being the last known example of a single-span, single-lane Pratt through-truss bridge in North America. Society member Roy “Chip” Wagner was responsible for researching the bridge’s history and writing the National Register application. 

The bridge was fabricated from both cast and wrought iron at the Beckel Iron Foundry and Machine Shop in Bethlehem. It was placed in service across Saucon Creek in 1860 and carried pedestrians, horses, buggies, and eventually cars and tractors. In the late 1960s, the bridge was declared structurally incapable of supporting school bus traffic and was replaced with a modern structure. The original bridge was saved and relocated, primarily in one piece, to a site along Walnut Street adjacent to the 1760 Heller-Wagner Grist Mill operated by the Historical Society. The bridge remained there, untouched, for more than 20 years. 

Volunteers from the Society worked with graduate students from Lehigh University and local businesses to rehabilitate the bridge and restore it to its original appearance. The project spanned four years from 1994-1998. One of the Lehigh students was Perry Green – now Dr. Perry Green – who will deliver the event’s keynote speech. Most of his fellow Lehigh students who worked on the project will be in attendance. 

Stacie Torkos, Vice President of the Hellertown Historical Society said:

“We cannot wait to share this historic recognition with our Hellertown Community! It’s been exciting to be part of such an important and meaningful reflection of local history. We look forward to celebrating with the entire Hellertown Borough, and hope to continue to bring events and recognition like this to Hellertown!”  

“When I look at the beautiful Walnut Street Pony Bridge, I’m reminded of the importance of knowing our history and appreciating the contributions of those who came before us. It is incredible that something made in the 1800’s to accommodate foot traffic and horses serviced the community until the 1970’s! Having an appreciation for the work of the people who lived in our community before, and the hard work of community members to preserve that history, is humbling, and it is incredible to be able to see that the only surviving bridge of its kind is right here in our back yard!” said Kate Hartney, coordinator for the Hellertown Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce.  

All community members are welcome to celebrate the Pony Bridge being recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. There will be limited edition t-shirts and other Historical Society related merchandise available for purchase to support the work of the Hellertown Historical Society.  

For more information on The Hellertown Historical Society, visit their website here: Home – Hellertown Historical Society 

To support the work of the Hellertown Historical Society, check out their Support Us Page: Support Us – Hellertown Historical Society