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Wilson Bridge, the oldest and perhaps the most graceful of Washington County’s limestone arches, was considered a modern marvel at the time of its completion in 1819. Its fine workmanship, by the mason Silas Harry, served as a pattern for some thirty stone bridges that would follow in the region. The five-arch, 210-foot-long bridge carried the state-chartered National Pike (later designated US 40) over Conococheague Creek to join the National Road at Cumberland, providing a pivotal link between eastern seaport cities and western markets. Wilson Bridge was bypassed in 1936, when US 40 was rerouted and a newer bridge built downstream. It remained open for local traffic until 1972, when flood damage from Tropical Storm Agnes relegated it to foot traffic.
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