As a state that has had a presence in the United States since its earliest days, its largest city — Philadelphia — has its share of historic sites, writes Corbin Lee for The Travel.

While lesser known than historical landmarks like Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, or the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of those historic sites is the Frankford Avenue Bridge. 

Located in Northeast Philadelphia, it is the nation’s oldest bridge and the first documented stone arch built in the United States. 

Built in 1697, its initial function was to carry along one of the first highways in the British colonies connecting Philadelphia to New York. 

The bridge was traversed in 1775 by a rider hailing from Boston, who brought news of the breakout of the Revolutionary War. 

In 1789, George Washington crossed the Frankford Avenue Bridge on his way to his Presidential inauguration in New York. 

More than 300 years since it was built, the Frankford Avenue Bridge remains among the most actively used on a heavily trafficked road in the U.S. 

The bridge holds further significance, as it was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1970, and was later listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Read more about why to visit the Frankford Avenue Bridge in The Travel.

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