The Schenk's Mill Covered Bridge or Shenk's Mill 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
Big Chiques 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, ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Big Chiques #4 Bridge.
(''Chiques Creek'' was known as ''Chickies Creek'' until 2002).
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. It is one of only 3 covered bridges in the county with horizontal side boards.
On December 31, 2017, a truck driver from Arizona damaged the bridge while attempting to cross it, claiming to be lost on the way to Baltimore and following his GPS.
The bridge's
WGCB Number is 38-36-30. Added in 1980, it is listed on 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 80003531.
It is located at (40.1160, -76.4253).
History
The bridge was built in 1847 by Charles Malhorn and Levi Fink. The bridge was rebuilt in 1855.
Dimensions
*Length: 80
feet
The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...
(24.4 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 ester ...
and total length
*Width: clear deck and total width
*Overhead clearance:
*Underclearance:
Gallery
Image:Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View 3264px.jpg, Three quarters view of the bridge
Image:Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge Inside 3008px.jpg, The inside of the bridge showing the Burr arch truss
Image:Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge-1.jpg, Three quarters view of the bridge from the air
Image:Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge-2.jpg, Approach view of bridge from the air
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
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External links
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{{NRHP bridges
Covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Bridges completed in 1855
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