The John D. Cummins Bridge is one of 48 known covered bridges that no longer exist in Indiana County, PA. This bridge was located along Route 110 between the towns of Creekside and Chambersville. The bridge and an accompanying bridge located not far upstream, the Swan Bridge, were washed away during the St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936. Some of the abutment stones that appear in the photo are still visible at the site. The road was rerouted further along Crooked Creek and does not cross the stream in this location any longer. John D. Cummins was a local landowner who owned the property that is now Blue Spruce Park. The last name is sometimes spelled with a 'g'. Four covered bridges remain in Indiana County.
Each spring in early April we see a Snapping Turtle in this vernal pool almost always in the same spot.
Wood frogs lay their eggs in large masses in vernal pools and ponds. Laying their eggs together in large clusters is a mechanism to protect the eggs from predators and to help keep the eggs viable from freezing should the temperatures drop or the surface freezes over.
