History & local legend
Wertz's Covered Bridge, also called the Red Bridge, crosses Tulpehocken Creek near the Berks County Heritage Center. Built in 1867, it now serves as a pedestrian crossing and has acquired a local crybaby-bridge legend.
In the version published by Penn State Berks writers Kim Beck and Kristy Offenback, a woman is abandoned by her husband and throws her child from the bridge into the creek. People are said to hear a baby crying, or indistinct voices, while crossing the wooden span. One of the writers added a personal recollection of hearing crying there.
