Presented by Joe Donnelly, Deputy Executive Director of Communications, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. A series of bridges once crossed the Delaware River between Ewing Township’s Wilburtha section and what is now called Yardley, PA. This sparsely documented river crossing was preceded by various ferries. In 1835, the states authorized formation of a local stock-issuing company to establish a new bridge crossing. This led to construction of the eighth covered wooden bridge along the river. And that’s when a mystery begins: nobody knows when that bridge opened or who built it. Mr. Donnelly will attempt to unravel some of the mystery, with a presentation about the largely forgotten wooden and steel river bridges that once served Ewing. The story involves slave owners and abolitionists, devastating floods, railroad barons, a peculiar architectural detail, a Trenton-trolley investor, quarry operators, a former riverside hotel, eventual joint ownership by New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Army-surplus temporary bridge spans, and Santa Claus. Today, only one vestige of the bridge remains – on the Pennsylvania riverbank. Registration is required.