The Landis Mill Covered Bridge is a
covered bridge that spans the
Little Conestoga Creek Little Conestoga Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Conestoga River in Pennsylvania. The Landis Mill Covered Bridge crosses the cre ...
in
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania,
United States. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Little Conestoga #1 Bridge.
The bridge, built in 1873 by
Elias McMellen Captain Elias McMellen (November 16, 1839 – March 2, 1916) was a bridge-maker and Captain in the Union Army.
McMellen's wife’s name was Annie E. Wenditz (November 13, 1841 – April 1, 1899). They were married on September 21, 1865, and had ...
, is today surrounded by a development, shopping center, and highways on the boundary of
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...
.
At , it is the shortest covered bridge in the county.
The bridge has a single span, wooden, double pyramidal-shaped
Burr-type trusses and multiple
king post truss design with the addition of steel hanger rods. It is the only bridge in the county to use this design. 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 portals to the bridge are painted in red with white trim.
The bridge's
WGCB Number is 38-36-16. In 1980 it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003526.
It is located at (40.06800, -76.34483). It can be found northwest of
Lancaster on Shreiner Road one block West of the
Park City Center shopping mall.
History
Landis Mill Covered Bridge was built in 1873 by
Elias McMellen Captain Elias McMellen (November 16, 1839 – March 2, 1916) was a bridge-maker and Captain in the Union Army.
McMellen's wife’s name was Annie E. Wenditz (November 13, 1841 – April 1, 1899). They were married on September 21, 1865, and had ...
at a cost of
$969. McMellen, who built many of Lancaster's covered bridges using 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 ...
, chose to build this short bridge using a simpler design with multiple kingpost trusses and, instead of Burr arches, pyramidal-shaped trusses to add additional support.
The bridge has remained despite the development of the surrounding countryside. Landis Mill Covered Bridge crosses the Little Conestoga Creek just a block west of Park City Mall. Built in 1873, this covered bridge uses the Kingpost Truss, no arches, and at only 53 feet long, it is the shortest covered bridge in Lancaster county.
Dimensions
*Length: 41
feet (12.5 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:
Gallery
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Approach 3264px.jpg, One of the approaches to the bridge
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3264px.jpg, Side view
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View 3008px.jpg, Three quarters view
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Inside 3008px.jpg, Inside of the bridge showing the Multiple kingpost truss and the Burr-type pyramidal-shaped support truss design
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Truss 2277px.jpg, Closeup of the truss joint
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Sign 1024px.jpg, The bridge identification sign inside the bridge
Image:Landis Mill Covered Bridge Inside Roof 3264px.jpg, One of the inside corners of the bridge with the roof
References
{{NRHP bridges
Covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Bridges completed in 1873
Covered bridges on the 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
1873 establishments in Pennsylvania