From the informational plaque near the bridge:
Early travelers waded through shallow places to cross
Wissahickon Creek. But as mills sprang up on both sides, mill
owners built bridges to make it easier to haul goods back and
forth.
In the 1800s, five covered bridges spanned the creek. Now only
this one, the Thomas Mill Road Bridge, remains. It's the only
covered bridge in a major U.S. city.
