ACADEMIA — Sometimes, shiny and new isn’t always the best route, especially when it comes to historical preservation.

Such was the case with the famed Academia-Pomeroy Covered Bridge, which at 278 feet long is the longest remaining covered bridge in the Keystone State.

Built in 1902, this single-lane, double-span wooden covered bridge crosses Spruce Hill and Beale Township in Juniata County. Its design is based on the Burr truss developed by Theodore Burr, who was the preeminent bridge designer and builder of his time.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the bridge has been owned by the Juniata County Historical Society in Mifflintown since 1962.

With the America250PA celebration coming up in 2026 as well as the recent Bells Across PA Liberty Bell placed inside the bridge, the historical society expects foot traffic in the area to continue to increase in the coming months.

Which is one reason why the historical society wanted to replace the fence, which had become a bit of an eyesore.

“The old fence was in bad condition,” said Austin Willi, who serves on the historical society’s property committee. “Over the past few years we had done some repair on parts of, it including a new coat of stain and replacing some rails and a post. Much of the fence was no longer repairable.”

Willi said the new fence is constructed of locust posts and hemlock rails, which will certainly be more resistant to weather than the previous one.

“After 1874, split rail fences were rapidly being replaced by barb wire,” Willi added. “However they were still being used in many places in 1902, the year the bridge was constructed. Therefore, it fits well with the period history and adds to the beauty of the bridge setting.”

Juniata County Historical Society president Jessica Eaton Guyer, who is the county’s representative on the America250PA committee, credited Willi and Spencer McLaughlin, who also serves on the properties committee, with securing funding and coordinating the installation of the new fence.

Thanks to a generous donation and partnership with Geisinger, the historical society was able complete the $7,210 project during the week of Oct. 20, with the installation being completed by ProLine Fence, of Camp Hill. Geisinger donated $5,000 to cover much of the project’s cost.

History society member Dr. Laurie Cox Gilbert had a connection with Geisinger and played a pivotal role in forging that partnership.

Additionally, properties committee member Shane Shetron was instrumental in getting the bids for the fence project and cleaning up the old fence, Guyer said.

“Many of the posts and rails were rotted, and for a while we were concerned about the potential of someone getting hurt, by leaning on a rail or kids being kids,” McLaughlin said.

Coincidentally, despite working on this project for months, the historical society never actually received feedback from the public on the fencing’s condition until just a few days before ProLine did the job.

“With proactive planning and Geisinger’s generous support we were able to get this project wrapped up right in line with community expectations,” McLaughlin explained.