The bridge was finished in 1858, allowing the Northern Central to haul coal from Sunbury, Pennsylvania to Baltimore.

However, the construction of a line from Dauphin to Rockville and the takeover of the Northern Central by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1875 resulted in most Northern Central traffic being rerouted over the PRR's Rockville Bridge a short distance downstream.

The Marysville Bridge was allowed to fall into decay, and removed in 1902 or 1903 after a period of disuse.

On July 2, 1986, a replica of the Statue of Liberty was erected on one of its piers in the Dauphin Narrows of the Susquehanna River.

After Stilp came forward, the replica statue was featured on the CBS Evening News in October 2011.