The Herr's Mill Covered Bridge was a
covered bridge that spans
Pequea Creek in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...
, United States.
It is also sometimes known as Soudersburg Bridge.
The bridge had a double 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 brid ...
es design. It was painted red on the outside, the traditional color of
Lancaster County covered bridges. Both approaches to the bridge were painted in the traditional white color.
The bridge's
WGCB Number is 38-36-21. In 1980 it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003537.
It was located at (40.00983, -76.16217),
in
Paradise Township on Ronks Road 0.4 km (0.25 mi) south of
U.S. Route 30 to the east of
Lancaster city.
History
Herr's Mill Covered Bridge was built in 1844 by Joseph Elliot and Robert Russell at a cost of
$1787.
It has a double-span, double-arch
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 brid ...
construction. In 1875, the bridge was rebuilt by
James C. Carpenter at a cost of $1860.
The bridge was later bypassed by a new concrete bridge and is now on the private property of the Mill Bridge Village Camping Resort. Owner Brian Kopan was quoted as saying "The bridge is in fine condition. We’re hoping to keep it as it is." In October 2018, the bridge was dismantled and was being moved to Elizabethtown, before it fell into the creek.
Dimensions
*Length: 178
feet (54.3 m) total length
[''Note:'' Two independent sources disagree on this length. In other covered bridges, the McCain source agreed more closely with official government sources while the Bickel source seemed incorrect or perhaps just measuring a different length. In this case, the Bickel source states that the bridge length is 113 feet (34.4 m).]
*Width: 15 feet (4.6 m) total width
Gallery
Image:Herr's Mill Covered Bridge Wide View 3000px.jpg, The side of the bridge showing part of the main road to the left and Herr's Mill to the right
Image:Herr's Mill Covered Bridge Side View 2696px.jpg, Another picture of the same side
Image:Herr's Mill Covered Bridge Back Side View 3000px.jpg, The other side of the bridge
Image:Herr's Mill Covered Bridge Alternate Front and Side 3008px.jpg
Image:Herr's Mill Covered Bridge Side and Front 3264px.jpg
Image:Herr's Mill Covered Bridge and Buggy 2600px.jpg, A horse and buggy going past the bridge
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 brid ...
*
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 1844
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