Riverfest commemorates the burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge during the Civil War. On the last Sunday in June 1863, locals prevented Confederate troops from crossing the river and moving toward Harrisburg or Philadelphia by burning the longest covered bridge in the country. Confederate troops were forced to turn back and just three days later the Battle of Gettysburg erupted.
Susquehanna National Heritage Area will light all 26 historic piers across the river ablaze this year at 7:45 PM. This special spectacle has been funded by the Wright’s Ferry Mansion, Louise Steinman von Hess Foundation, in memory of Louise McClure Tinsley Steinman von Hess.
