Cramers or Israel's Creek Covered Bridge

A covered bridge existed on Liberty Road, Route 26, not far from the large covered bridge over the Monocacy River known as the Frederick to Liberty Turnpike Bridge. The exact location of the bridge is in question although it is believed to be over Israel's Creek based on the book History of Frederick County by Thomas John Chew Williams about the redistricting of the area near the bridge in 1898:

Elections Districts Formed - Beginning at a point on the Monocacy River, in Woodsborough District, or Election District #11, now known as Link's Ford, and running with the east bank of said river to the Frederick and Woodsborough turnpike, over said river known as Ceresville Bridge; then with said Frederick and Woodsborough turnpike road to the place where said turnpike road intersects the Frederick and Libertytown turnpike road to the covered bridge over Israel's Creek, known as Creamer's Bridge; then with the west bank of Israel's Creek to the public road known as Johnson's Lane....

Although the book spells the bridge name as Creamers, maps of that era spell the bridge name as Cramers.

Notice the author also refers to a "Ceresville Bridge." It is possible there was another covered bridge located in this general area and maybe even a third covered bridge. The information shown below in a couple of articles confuses the location of Cramer's Bridge, if in fact they are referring to Cramer's Bridge. It may be referring to Cramer's Bridge or Ceresville Bridge or another bridge. The first article was in The News, Frederick, MD, on November 25, 1892:

One of the long-looked for improvements has just been completed by Mr. Ezra Palmer & Sons of Middlepoint, Catoctin District, this county. A splendid covered wooden bridge over Israel's Creek in Mount Pleasant District at a point known as Johnson's Ford. This bridge is a credit to its builder and will stand the storms of many years.

A second article appeared in The News, Frederick, MD, on August 26, 1913 concerning an accident at a bridge near Ceresville:

Shortly before 2 o'clock this afternoon the large traction engine of E.J. Utterback dropped through the old covered bridge across Israel's Creek, near the residence of Clayton M. Zimmerman, near Ceresville.

The threshing had been done and the outfit was being taken back to the Walkersville-Mt. Pleasant Road. the road over which the outfit was traveling is known as Johnson's Lane, and the bridge, it is stated, has been in unsafe condition for some time. The beams and the flooring of the structure gave way. There was a mighty crash and the whole dropped to the bed of the stream.

We are continuing to look for information and maps for the bridges and homesteads for this location, especially the location of Johnson's Ford and Johnson's Lane. That said, based on the information in Thomas Williams' book about redistricting in this area in 1898, we believe there was at least one covered bridge in this area and it was located on Liberty Road over Israel's Creek.

(Many thanks to Linda Burns for furnishing news articles about the bridges near Ceresville and Mount Pleasant.)