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Still in use today, this graceful native limestone triple-arched bridge was built across Opequon Creek in 1832 and is considered to be the oldest operational bridge in West Virginia.
John Van Metre acquired 800 acres on the east side of Opequon Creek in 1734. The Berkeley County Court commissioned Silas Harry, a Pennsylvania man who built bridges in Maryland, to construct a stone bridge across the Opequon at the old Warm Springs Road near the Van Metre property. This road began in Alexandria, Virginia, and extended over old Indian paths and wagon worn trails to the Warm Springs in Bath (now Berkeley Springs). The bridge played a significant part in the development of local transportation and helped spur commerce and communication by making the crossing of Opequon Creek easier and less expensive.
Nearby is the Henry Van Metre cemetery. Henry Van Metre built a large native limestone house near the bridge which was destroyed by fire in 1905.
Efforts at preservation have led to plans for construction of a new bridge for traffic with the historic bridge to remain as a monument. Van Metre Ford Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Location: WV36 (Golf Course Road) – 2.1 miles east of Martinsburg
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