The Bergy Bridge Historic District was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1963. Text, below, was adapted from a copy of the original nomination document.
The Bergy Bridge village district comprises the Bergy stone arch bridge, the Kratz farmhouse and barn, an Inn or Hotel, and an adjacent stable building.
Bergy bridge was constructed in 1848 and was slightly humped. It has four barrel, vaulted arches sharing three footings. The arches were inset beneath the bridge rail to form a water table so that water was prevented from seeping into the stonework of the arches. There were also a series of road level drains that projected beyond the edge of the bridge to carry water clear of the side walls. On the upstream side of the bridge, the footings were constructed with pointed buttresses designed to protect the bridge from ice, logs, and other floating debris.
The Kratz farmhouse and barn were built in the 19th century, and first appear in the Montgomery County atlas of 1861. The garage to the right of the house was the location of the village blacksmith shop. The farmhouse had a traditional four bay front, high-pitched gabled roof, two end chimneys, and probably a small porch across the front. The house was a 2 1/2 story structure plus a cellar, giving it the appearance of 3 1/2 stories from the front. In the rear was constructed a small, single story summer kitchen. There was an enclosed, German garden. This square garden was undoubtedly built with the house and is divided into four separate beds crossed by two sunken paths. The barn was likewise built along traditional German design.
The Bergy Inn was constructed early in the 19th century. It was a 2 1/2 story structure typical of German building in rural Pennsylvania. It had a high-pitched roof, a single end chimney, five bay front with six over six sash windows, and central hall and stairway. The 1 1/2 story stable was built in the early 19th century of masonry with randomly located six over six sash windows.
Certain external, structural changes occurred over the years. The Bergy Stone Arch bridge was slightly altered with the major change being the addition of a concrete coping along the top of the side walls and the inevitable change in the original bridge surface to blacktop paving.
The Kratz house shows a number of Victorian features, including a porch around three sides, a roof overhang, and two gabled dormers with overhang, across the front bay.
The Bergy Inn now has the addition of another end chimney, a porch most-likely built in the late 19th century, and the stonework has been stuccoed and whitewashed.
The greatest exterior alterations have been made to the 1 1/2 story stable building.
The stone arch bridge at Bergy, with the associated buildings of the small community, represents both a well-preserved sample of Pennsylvania bridge construction and a relatively unaltered segment of small-scale, local community life.
The Bergy bridge is a good example of the stone arch bridges constructed throughout Montgomery County between 1800 and 1860 to accommodate increasing turnpike building during the same period. The bridge and community served as integral parts of the Sumneytown-Spring House turnpike, and are further symbolic of the importance and character of small village development in Pennsylvania. It had a high-pitched roof, a single end chimney, five bay front with six-over-six sash windows, a central hall, and a stairway. It was constructed of rough stone with a wood shingled roof and had a cellar portion. The stable was used by the stage line. The 1 1/2 story structure was built early in the 19th century of masonry with randomly-located six-over-six sash windows.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Bergy Road • Route 63 • Sumneytown Pike