The Neff's Mill Covered Bridge or Bowman's Mill Covered Bridge is a
covered bridge that spans the
Pequea Creek on the border between
West Lampeter Township
West Lampeter Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,365 at the 2020 census.
History
The Johannes Harnish Farmstead, Christian and Emma Herr Farm, Hans Herr House, Lime Valley Co ...
and
Strasburg Township in
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania,
United States.
A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Pequea #7 Bridge.
The bridge has a single span, wooden, double
Burr arch trusses 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. It is purportedly the narrowest covered bridge in the county.
The bridge's
WGCB Number is 38-36-22. Added in 1980, it is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003538.
It is located at (39.97883, -76.22583), on Penn Grant Road 1.25 miles to the east of
U.S. Route 222 and to the south of
Lampeter, Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Route 741.
History
The covered bridge was originally built by Christian Brackbill in 1824 for an unknown cost. It was known as Bowman's Mill Covered Bridge. It was rebuilt in 1875 by
James C. Carpenter at a cost of
$1,860. Note: This is the narrowest covered bridge in the county.
Dimensions
*Length: 90
feet (27.4 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
''Note:''[''Note:'' The dimensions of this bridge are not agreed on by multiple sources. The total length is published as either 102 or 103 feet, the clear deck width as 11 feet and 11 feet 7 inches. It is also unlikely that the bridge is actually 15 feet wide, given the limited clear deck width. The sign posted on the bridge indicates an overhead clearance of 11 feet, but the government source lists it as 11 feet, 6 inches.]
*Width: clear deck and total width
''Note:''
*
Overhead clearance
A structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is a diagram or physical structure that sets limits to the extent that bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure can encroach on rail vehicles. It specifies the height and width of pl ...
:
''Note:''
*
Under clearance:
Gallery
Image:Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Wide 3008px.jpg, A wide view of the side of the bridge
Image:Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View HDR 3264px.jpg, A three-quarters view of the bridge
Image:Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Portal 2000px.jpg, One of the bridge's portals
Image:Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Interior 1952px.jpg, The inside of the bridge
Image:Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Inside 3008px.jpg, Closeup of the Burr arch truss design
Image:Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Inside HDR 3008px.jpg, The window and painted sign inside the bridge
See also
*
Burr arch truss
*
List of Lancaster County covered bridges
References
{{NRHP bridges
Covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Bridges completed in 1875
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