The "Bridges Of Yesteryear" Story

It was an ordinary day. Driving around Lancaster County on a Sunday afternoon, looking for a few interesting photographs I could take to show fall crops or perhaps an Amish church service. Naturally crossed a few covered bridges as I passed through the county. I have my favorites, but driving across any covered bridge is always an interesting experience. I recently learned there are nine things that many people don't known about the covered bridges in Lancaster County. Since I now know all nine, I thought I would share them with you. (1) First off, at one time there were more than 130 covered bridges in the county and as many as 12,000 nationwide. That was back in the mid-1800s when there were 1,500 in Pennsylvania alone. (2) Today there are 29 bridges that still stand in Lancaster County which makes the county #1 in Pennsylvania and #2 nationwide with Parke County in Indiana having 31.

Neff's Mill Bridge

(3) Neff's Mill Bridge that connects West Lampeter with Strasburg Townships is allegedly the oldest covered bridge in Lancaster County.  It was first built in 1824 and reconstructed in 1875.  (4) The Miller's Farm Bridge and Good's Fording Bridges were demolished and their remains were used to build the bridge that stands near the Amish Farm & House tourist attraction.  

The newest covered bridge; Willow Mill Bridge.

It was built in 1962 and therefore is considered the newest covered bridge.  (5) As you drive around Lancaster County looking for covered bridges you will notice one thing in common; they are all red but one.  That one exception is the Keller's Mill Bridge over the Cocalico Creek in Ephrata Township which happens to be painted white.  The paint on many of the red-colored bridges has faded over time, but they are still red!  (6) On August 31, 2018 I posted a story telling about the two main types of covered bridges.  One was the Burr arch trust and the other the  king post style construction.  Only one of the covered bridges in Lancaster County used the king post construction and that one is the Landis Mill bridge which is located one block from Park City Center.  All the others used the Burr arch trust method of construction which was developed by Theodore Burr in 1804.  (7) Elias McMellen takes claim to being the builder of almost all the covered bridges in Lancaster County, since seven of the remaining bridges were built by him.  (8) 23 of the remaining bridges are open to vehicle traffic while the other six are just for pedestrian use.  

Covered Bridges were built single lane and meant for one vehicle.

(9) If you have ever traveled over a covered bridge you know that they were made for going one direction only.  They are just one lane!  And, if you happen upon a covered bridge, travel slowly up the incline to the bridge to see if anyone is coming through it already.  When it is your turn, pass through it slowly in case someone might be headed toward you.  If someone is in front of you and enters a covered bridge, do not begin to follow them until they have exited the bridge.  The wooden bridges are sturdy, but not designed for heavy vehicle traffic, thus the old wooden beams can't stand the weight of more than one vehicle at a time.  The nine facts I have just listed are facts that you may not have known in the past, but may help with your exploration of the covered bridges in Lancaster County.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.