TYLER STATE PARK
Tyler State Park consists of 1,711 acres in Bucks County. Recreation opportunities include picnicking, fishing, boating, 25 miles of hiking trails, 10.5 miles of horseback riding trails, 10.5 mile of bicycle trails and a disc golf course.
SCHOFIELD FORD COVERED BRIDGE located within Tyler State Park.
Between 1869 and 1871, the citizens of Newtown and Northampton Townships petitioned Buck County Commissioners to build a bridge connecting their two communities. By 1873, the bridge was completed and for the 118 years it played an important role and changing role in the social and economic life of Bucks County. The finished bridge, built entirely of hemlock and oak, was 166 feet across the creek, making it the longest covered bridge in Bucks County, as well as the only double-span bridge. The post and beam construction method, typical for the time, easily bore the weight of horses, wagons, and carriages traversing the old Holland Pike for business and pleasure.
When the covered bridge was constructed in the 1870s, it received no formal name from the County Commissioners, but took on the names of the farming families adjacent to it. A map of the Tyler property from 1931 refers to the bridge area as Schofield Ford, the name which was adopted when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the land from the Tyler estate in 1964.
In 1991, this county landmark was destroyed by fire. Using authentic materials and methods, a group of concerned citizens from various parts of the county undertook a united effort to rebuild this historic bridge. After five and a half years of planning and fundraising, the Schofield Ford Bridge Committee organized a coalition to rebuild the bridge in the summer of 1997. On September 6, 1997, the bridge was dedicated to the volunteers and contributors who made the reconstruction possible.
