The Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge or Eichelberger's Covered Bridge is a
covered bridge
A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...
that spans the
West Branch of the Octoraro Creek in
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the West Octoraro #1 Bridge.
The bridge is purportedly the only covered bridge in the county that is not built
perpendicular
In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
to the stream it crosses due to the placement of the sawmill on one side of the bridge and the rock formations faced by the builders on the other side.
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 38-36-33. In 1980 it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as structure number 80003520, but it was removed from the Register in 1986.
It is located at (39.89700, -76.08000).
The bridge lies in
Bart Township, to the east of
Quarryville
Quarryville is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,852 at the 2020 census, up from 2,576 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Quarryville is located in southern Lancaster County at (39.895402, -76.162175). ...
and south of Pennsylvania Route 372 on Mt Pleasant Road.
Due to its remote location in an isolated part of the county, it is seen less than many of the county's other covered bridges that are closer to the major populations centers such as
Lancaster.
History
The bridge was built in 1878 by John Smith and Samuel Stauffer
at a cost of
$2,410. In 1985 it was washed mostly intact from its foundations and deposited a short distance downstream in a flood. It was repaired and reset at a cost to the county of $75,000. During the rebuilding, the bridge was raised to protect it against future flooding.
As of summer 2006, the bridge was in good conditions, having undergone a recent rehabilitation in May 2005.
[See this image of the history sign on the bridge itself.]
Dimensions
*Length:
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 ester ...
and total length
*Width: clear deck and total width
*Overhead clearance:
*Underclearance:
Gallery
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Wide Side View 3000px.jpg, A wide view of the bridge
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View 3264px.jpg, Three quarters view
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Inside 3264px.jpg, View of the inside of the bridge showing the 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 ...
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Burr Arch Truss 3008px.jpg, A closeup of the Burr arch truss
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Sign 2272px.jpg, A metal nameplate describing the 1985 rebuilding
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge History Sign 3008px.jpg, Sign inside the bridge describing its history
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Identification Sign 3008px.jpg, The identification sign inside the center of the bridge
Image:Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Underside Frame 3008px.jpg, The underside of 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 bridge ...
*
List of Lancaster County covered bridges
The following is a list of covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania United States, USA. Lancaster County has the most covered bridges in Pennsylvania with 28 covered bridges. Parke County, Indiana has the ...
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Bridges completed in 1878
Former National Register of Historic Places 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
