The 1830 Rishel Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge located in East Chillisquaque Township and West Chillisquaque Township in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is a single-span, Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1830 by John Shriner Jr. and Zacheus Braley, that crosses the Chillisquaque Creek.

Rishel Covered Bridge is the oldest still-standing covered bridge in Pennsylvania. It has been refurbished on several occasions, most recently in 1990. The bridge spans 121 feet over Chillisquaque Creek, making it the longest-covered bridge in Northumberland County.

Like several other covered bridges in the area, the Rishel Covered Bridge has a height bar located a few feet in front of the covered bridge. This ensures that overheight vehicles don’t damage the historical structure.

The length of the largest span is 90.9 feet, with a total length of 121 feet. It has a deck width of 16.4 feet and a vertical clearance above the deck of 12 feet.

At one point, the bridge was alleged to have been built in 1812 by James Moore II, father of the founder of nearby Bucknell University.  That would have made Rishel Covered Bridge the nation's oldest, and it was promoted as such on postcards and tourist brochures. Later in the 1980s, it was proved to have been built in 1830 instead.

Length of largest span:  90.9 feet
Total length:  121 feet
Deck width:  16.4 feet
Vertical clearance above deck:  12 feet

Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1979.

Located at:  N40 57.608   W76 48.949      -      WGCB #38-49-05

Photographed in September 2021

Photos by Millard Farmer