The Erb's Covered Bridge is a
covered bridge that spans
Hammer Creek in
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania,
United States.
A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Hammer Creek #1 Bridge.
The bridge has a single span, wooden, double
Burr arch truss
The Burr Arch Truss—or, simply, Burr Truss or Burr Arch—is a combination of an arch and a ''multiple kingpost'' truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridge ...
es design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks.
It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in the traditional white color.
The bridge's
WGCB Number is 38-36-34.
In 1980 it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003536.
It is located at (40.16733, -76.24400).
The bridge can be found on Erb's Bridge Road north of Picnic Woods Road approximately 1 mile north of Pennsylvania route 772 and
Rothsville, Pennsylvania.
History
The bridge was originally built in 1849 for a cost of
$700. It was built on the Erb family's tract of land in the farming region along Hammer Creek.
The Erb family is one of the old-stock families of
Lancaster County. Jacob came with his father from
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in the year 1728, when four years of age, and resided at an early day near
Hammer Creek, in
Warwick township. About the year 1782 he removed to what is now
Clay village, in Clay township, where he purchased five or six hundred acres of land, including the mill privileges at that point, and made a permanent settlement. He operated at Clay, and another one a little higher up, on Middle Creek, besides engaging in the arduous duties of pioneer agriculture. In religious affairs he belonged to the
Mennonite persuasion until the breaking out of the
Revolutionary war; but at that time feeling that the non-resistant principles of the society were detrimental to the preservation of the essential liberties of the people, he withdrew from the connection and warmly supported the struggle for national independence. After the close of the war he represented his district in the
Legislature of the State. He was possessed of a deep reflective mind, good judgement, and a progressive spirit. He died in 1810, at the advanced age of 83 years. His wife bore him two sons and several daughters. The names of the former were John and Christian. The latter occupied the old family seat in Warwick during his life-time, and his descendants are still to be found in that locality.
In 1887 the bridge was rebuilt by
John G. Bowman for $1744.
Dimensions
*Length: 70
feet (21.3 m)
span
Span may refer to:
Science, technology and engineering
* Span (unit), the width of a human hand
* Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports
* Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft
* Sorbitan es ...
and total length
*Width: clear deck and total width
*Overhead clearance:
*Underclearance:
See also
*
Burr arch truss
The Burr Arch Truss—or, simply, Burr Truss or Burr Arch—is a combination of an arch and a ''multiple kingpost'' truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridge ...
*
List of Lancaster County covered bridges
References
{{NRHP bridges
Covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Bridges completed in 1849
1849 establishments in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Wooden bridges in Pennsylvania
Burr Truss bridges in the United States