Perkasie, PA (August 18, 2023) — The Bucks County Covered Bridge Society has named local author and historian R. Scott Bomboy as its next chairperson, the group announced on Friday.
“I’d like to congratulate Petrona Charles on her retirement as the society’s chairperson and for her leadership and long-time commitment to protecting and preserving Bucks County’s covered bridge legacy,” Bomboy said in a statement. “Petrona and former long-time chairperson Bill Wilson have established a strong foundation for the society’s future.”
The Bucks County Covered Bridge Society was formed in 2007 to help with the rebuilding of Mood’s Covered Bridge in East Rockhill Township. The group soon expanded its mission to promote, preserve and protect all 12 covered bridges in Bucks County. The society gained non-profit status as a 501c3 in August 2014.
As part of its mission, the society has worked with the Visit Bucks County tourism agency to promote covered bridge tours using brochures offered to the public at various locations across the state. The group also has raised funds for lighting for bridges, led various tours throughout Bucks County, and presented educational historical events about the bridges.
Bomboy had served as the group’s vice chair and has been involved in covered bridge projects since 2016. In 2017, he built the Bucks Covered Bridges website for the Bucks County Historical Society as part of a graduate school project. In 2022, Bomboy published Wooden Treasures: The Story of Bucks County’s Covered Bridges, the first complete history of covered bridge building in the county going back to 1806. As a Perkasie Borough council member, he is also leading the rehabilitation efforts at the South Perkasie Covered Bridge, which was damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2001.
“Covered bridges played an important role in Bucks County’s pre-industrial history and also were a big part of the cultural tourism boom in the 1960s. Our role is to raise awareness of these ‘wooden treasures,’ work with public officials on bridge preservation and safety, and to connect groups to projects to celebrate Bucks County’s Covered Bridge heritage,” Bomboy said.
In an upcoming event, Bomboy with be co-presenting on September 23, 2023, with Charles Yeske, the president of the national Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM), at the 150th anniversary of Sheard’s Mill Covered Bridge. Other society events featuring guest speakers at various locations connected to covered bridges will be another new offering for the society.
“Many Bucks County residents are fascinated with covered bridges and the scenic locations associated with them. Educational tours are another program we plan to launch over the coming year.”
There are currently 12 wooden covered bridges located in Bucks County. Bucks County owns seven covered bridges, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania owns four bridges, and Perkasie Borough owns one covered bridge.
More information about the bridges can be found on the society’s website at buckscountycbs.org.
For more information and media inquiries, contact:
Scott Bomboy
Chair, Bucks County Covered Bridge Society
sbomboy@yahoo.com
215-527-1016
