Bollman Bridge (Wernwag Bridge)

The 1836 Wernwag (or Latrobe) bridge was a wooden covered railroad and highway bridge spanning the Potomac River from Maryland Heights to the Point at Harpers Ferry. Used by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the bridge was destroyed and rebuilt several times during the Civil War. Afterwards, the B&O rebuilt the bridge as the Bollman Iron Truss Bridge. The B&O crossing was known for its sharp turns at either end of the bridge, which ultimately led to the railroad realigning their tracks and constructing a new bridge adjacent to this one. The Bollman bridge served as a highway bridge until it was destroyed in the 1936 flood.

Almost immediately after Robert Harper settled what became the town of Harpers Ferry, he started a ferry between the Point and Maryland Heights to facilitate transportation across the Potomac River. Later, in 1824, a highway bridge was constructed around the same location.

In 1836, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad came to Harpers Ferry, first connecting to the Winchester & Potomac Line and then constructing a new line to connect to Cumberland, MD. The arrival of the B&O led to the construction of the Wernwag, or Latrobe, Bridge. The wooden bridge was designed by the Chief Engineer for the B&O Railroad, Benjamin H. Latrobe, and served as a combination railroad and highway/toll bridge between Maryland Heights and Harpers Ferry. Construction was overseen by a local builder, Lewis Wernwag, and the bridge was most commonly known as the Wernwag Bridge. The original B&O crossing was infamous for the tight curves at both ends of the bridge. The steep rise of Maryland Heights on the one side and the layout of the town and armory at Harpers Ferry meant that on both sides of the river the railroad tracks were practically parallel to the Potomac and then had to turn to cross at the railroad bridge. Economically, the B&O wanted to construct the shortest possibly bridge, which led to its placement at the Point with almost right-angled turns at either end. The Wernwag Bridge was a wooden covered bridge that was repaired several times between 1836 and 1851. Because the Wager family of Harpers Ferry still owned the land at the Point, they were able to collect tolls from vehicle traffic across the bridge (although they had an agreement with the B&O not to collect tolls on railroad traffic).

In 1851, the B&O replaced one section of the span with a new iron design by Wendel Bollman. The rest of the bridge remained in the original covered wooden design until the Civil War. In June 1861 the B&O Railroad Bridge was destroyed by Confederate forces leaving Harpers Ferry. Since Harpers Ferry was such an important strategic point for the movement of both armies (and the civilian population of the surrounding areas) the bridge was rebuilt and destroyed several times between 1861 and 1865. After the Civil War the B&O had to rebuild a permanent bridge and they decided to keep the same alignment due to the costs of realigning the tracks. Instead of rebuilding a wooden bridge, the railroad decided to do an entire iron span of the Bollman design. Like the Wernwag Bridge, the Bollman Iron Truss Bridge was also a combination railroad and toll bridge until the 1890s.

Eventually the B&O Railroad had to address the tight turns on both sides of the Harpers Ferry Bridge and the neighboring steel truss bridge was constructed in 1894 to adjust the alignment of the tracks (this was in combination with the new tunnel through Maryland Heights and moving the tracks through the original armory grounds). The Bollman Bridge continued in use as a pedestrian and vehicle bridge under the administration of the Harpers Ferry and Potomac Bridge Co. In the twentieth century, with the growth of automobile traffic, State Route 340 used the Bollman Bridge (Harpers Ferry Bridge) to cross the Potomac.

The Bollman Bridge was destroyed in the flood of 1936 that also destroyed the neighboring Shenandoah Bridge and caused considerable damage in Harpers Ferry. After that the bridge was never rebuilt, leaving only the six stone piers and two stone abutments. As of 1999 pieces of the iron Bollman Bridge could be seen in periods of extremely low water.

The piers were originally included in the National Register listing “Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossing of the Potomac River between Maryland Heights, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.” In 1992 the piers were acquired by the National Park Service and are now listed under the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on the National Register of Historic Places. 

"National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Crossing of the Potomac River between Maryland Heights, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia." Accessed August 17, 2021.

"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Bollman Bridge, Wernwag or Latrobe Bridge." Accessed August 17, 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/02000287.pdf.