Read more in Delaware Currents

Skinners Falls Bridge Update
Don’t Let it Happen Again!

Dear Supporters,

As many of you know, despite our best efforts and your incredible support, the historic Skinners Falls Bridge was destroyed by PennDOT in a demolition beginning April 17th and still continuing. While U.S. District Judge Karoline Mehalchick ruled against the request for an injunction, your contributions allowed us to mount the strongest possible legal challenge, bringing crucial attention to PennDOT’s systematic failure to maintain historic structures until demolition becomes a so-called “emergency”.

This fight cost $55,841 in legal fees. Thanks to your generosity, we’ve raised $30,495 so far ($7,995 through GoFundMe and $22,500 through other contributions). While we didn’t save this bridge, we’ve built something powerful: a community determined to prevent this from happening again.

As Mindy Gulden Crawford, Executive Director of Preservation Pennsylvania noted: “I’m so very sorry for this outcome. It is hard to take on PennDOT and win but you made it farther than many people do, and you should take the credit for fighting back instead of just letting it happen.”

Moving forward, we’re committed to:
• Closing our $25,346 funding gap for legal expenses. Please help us by donating through the DCS website or our GoFundMe campaign.

In our upcoming correspondence with PennDOT we are committed to:
• In collaboration with historic bridge experts and historic preservation community to create a watchdog initiative to identify at-risk historic bridges. This will help preserve them before they reach “demolition by neglect” status and create a response network for future preservation “emergencies”.

•In collaboration with historic bridge experts, develop policy proposals requiring proper maintenance of historic infrastructure. These policy proposals may require legislation and must include enforcement provisions.

• A Faithful Replacement:
We are urging PennDOT to replace the demolished bridge with a structure that reflects the original design and integrity—not a modern structure that erases history.

As always, DCS will continue with its mission to protect The Upper Delaware, and our homes, our community, and our region:
• Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) is a collaborative endeavor to protect the universal elements of life: clean water, air and land, and to preserve natural, scenic, and historic resources.

Your continued support will help us turn this devastating loss into lasting change. Every dollar contributed now serves double duty: honoring commitments to those who helped fight this battle and ensuring other historic structures don’t face the same fate.

Thank you for standing with us and caring about our rural heritage.