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List of covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Baumgardener's Covered Bridge Bitzer's Mill Covered Bridge Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge Buck Hill Covered Bridge Colemanville Covered Bridge Erb's Covered Bridge Forry's Mill Covered Bridge Herr's Mill Covered Bridge Hunsecker's Covered Bridge Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge Keller's Mill Covered Bridge Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge Landis Mill Covered Bridge Leaman's Place Covered Bridge Lime Valley Covered Bridge Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Pine Grove Covered Bridge Pinetown Bushong's Covered Bridge Pool Forge Covered Bridge Red Run Covered Bridge Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge Shearer's Mill Covered Bridge Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge Weaver's Mill Covered Bridge White Rock Forge Covered Bridge Willow Hill Covered Bridge Zook's Mill Covered BridgeLancaster County Existing Covered Bridges Dot Map
Map of the 29 existing covered bridges as of October, 2006 (clickable)

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is famous for its many beautiful covered bridges. These unique bridges are like tunnels made of wood, and they are a special part of the county's history and charm. Lancaster County has more covered bridges than any other county in Pennsylvania, with 28 still standing! Only Parke County, Indiana has more in the entire United States.

Most of these bridges are so important that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are recognized as valuable historical sites. When you visit Lancaster County, you'll often see Amish people crossing these bridges in their horse and buggies, which adds to the magical feeling. Many people enjoy taking driving tours to see these amazing old bridges.

A Look Back: History of Covered Bridges

In the 1800s, Pennsylvania had about 1,500 covered bridges. Today, only a little over 200 remain. Lancaster County has the most of these survivors! Back then, wood was cheap and easy to find, so most bridges were built from it. Building a bridge was a big job, costing a lot of money, effort, and time. Governments or private citizens paid for them.

The wooden bridges were covered to protect them from rain, snow, and sun. This cover helped the wood last much longer. But even with covers, floods and fires destroyed many bridges over time. Eventually, stronger bridges made of reinforced concrete and steel took their place. Today, the county government owns most of the remaining covered bridges and takes care of them.

Rebuilding and Modern Times

Many covered bridges have been damaged or destroyed over the years, but some were rebuilt. For example, in 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused huge floods that ruined many bridges. The Zook's Mill Covered Bridge was filled with water but somehow survived!

The Willow Hill Covered Bridge is a newer bridge, built in 1962. It was actually made using parts from two older, destroyed bridges: the Miller's Farm and Good's Fording bridges. This shows how much people value these historic structures.

How Covered Bridges Are Built

The covered bridges in Lancaster County often look similar. This is partly because one man, Elias McMellen, built 12 of them! Most of these bridges use a special building style called the Burr arch truss. This design uses strong wooden arches to support the bridge, making it very sturdy. You can find this design in almost all the county's covered bridges. The Landis Mill Covered Bridge is different; it uses a "multiple kingpost" design.

Most bridges are in quiet areas with less traffic. But some, like Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge, were later made even stronger. They added steel beams underneath and steel rods on the sides. This extra support helps them handle heavier vehicles.

Historically, Lancaster County's covered bridges were painted red on the sides with white entrances (called portals). Many still have this look today. However, some have red portals with white trim, like the Zook's Mill Covered Bridge. Others are all red, such as the Pool Forge Covered Bridge. The Keller's Mill Covered Bridge is unique because it's painted all white!

Some bridges have horizontal wooden boards on their sides, like the Buck Hill Covered Bridge, Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge, and Shearer's Covered Bridge. Most others have vertical side boards.

  • Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View 3264px

    The traditional colors of a Lancaster County covered bridge: red sides and white portals

  • Baumgardener's Covered Bridge Inside Center 3008px

    An example of the Burr arch truss design used in most of Lancaster County's covered bridges

  • Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Underside Frame 3008px

    The underside of the Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge showing the reinforced steel bracing

  • Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Burr Arch Truss 3008px

    A Burr arch truss reinforced with steel hanger rods

Existing Bridges

Bridge Image WGCB Code Truss Type Length Year Original Builder Open to Traffic? Location
Baumgardener's Covered Bridge Baumgardener's Covered Bridge Side View 3008px.JPG 38-36-25 Burr arch truss 120 feet (37 m) 1860 rebuilt 1987 Davis Kitch Yes (one lane) Baumgardener's Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Bitzer's Mill Covered Bridge Bitzer's Mill Covered Bridge Side 3008px.jpg 38-36-04 Burr arch truss 90 feet (27 m) 1846 George Fink and Sam Reamsnyder Yes (one lane) Bitzer's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge Full Side 3008px.jpg 38-36-12 Burr arch truss 64 feet (20 m) 1891 rebuilt 1892 Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Buck Hill Covered Bridge Buck Hill Farm Covered Bridge Three Quarters HDR 2950px.jpg 38-36-15 Burr arch truss 58 feet (18 m) 1825 rebuilt 1844 moved 1966 Unknown No (Foot traffic only if given permission by the owner) Buck Hill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Colemanville Covered Bridge Colemanville Covered Bridge Full Side View 3008px.jpg 38-36-26 Burr arch truss 170 feet (52 m) 1856 rebuilt 1938 1973 and 1992 James C. Carpenter Yes (one lane) Colemanville Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Erb's Covered Bridge Erb's Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-34 Burr arch truss 70 feet (21 m) 1849 rebuilt 1887 Unknown Yes (one lane) Erb's Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Forry's Mill Covered Bridge Forry's Mill Covered Bridge Wide Angle Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-28 Burr arch truss 103 feet (31 m) 1869 rebuilt 1925 Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Forry's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Hunsecker's Mill Covered Bridge HunsickerMillBridge.jpg 38-36-06 Burr arch truss 180 feet (55 m) 1843 rebuilt 1973 John Russell Yes (one lane) Hunsecker's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View 3264px.jpg 38-36-33 Burr arch truss 139 feet (42 m) 1878 rebuilt 1985 John Smith and Samuel Stauffer Yes (one lane) Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-32 Burr arch truss 96 feet (29 m) 1857 rebuilt 1874 James C. Carpenter Yes (one lane) Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Keller's Mill Covered Bridge Kellers Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-13 Burr arch truss 74 feet (23 m) 1873 rebuilt 1891 moved 2006 rebuilt 2009 reopened December 2010 Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Keller's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3008px.jpg 38-36-03 Burr arch truss 94 feet (29 m) 1876 destroyed during the Agnes flood of '72 moved to Lancaster County Central Park and last rebuilt by David Esh in 1975 W. W. Upp Yes (one lane) Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Landis Mill Covered Bridge Landis Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3264px.jpg 38-36-16 Multiple king post 53 feet (16 m) 1873 Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Landis Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Leaman's Place Covered Bridge Leaman's Place Covered Bridge Three-Quarters View 3008px.jpg 38-36-20 Burr arch truss 113 feet (34 m) 1845 rebuilt 1893 James C. Carpenter Yes (one lane) Leaman's Place Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Lime Valley Covered Bridge Lime Valley Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-23 Burr arch truss 103 feet (31 m) 1871 Joseph Cramer or Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Lime Valley Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge† Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge 2600px.jpg 38-36-38 Burr arch truss 80 feet (24 m) 1880 B. J. Carter Yes (one lane) Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-22 Burr arch truss 102 feet (31 m) 1824 rebuilt 1875 rehabilitated 2018 Christian Brackbill Yes (one lane) Neff's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Pine Grove Covered Bridge† Pine Grove Covered Bridge Wide Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-41 Burr arch truss 195 feet (59 m) 1884 Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Pine Grove Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Pinetown Bushong's Mill Covered Bridge Pinetown Bushong's Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-05 Burr arch truss 133 feet (41 m) 1867 rebuilt 1973 closed 2011 reopened January 2014 Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) Pinetown Bushong's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Pool Forge Covered Bridge Pool Forge Covered Bridge Three Quarters View HDR 3008px.jpg 38-36-01 Burr arch truss 99 feet (30 m) 1859 Levi Fink and Elias McMellen Yes Pool Forge Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Red Run Covered Bridge Red Run Covered Bridge 3000px.jpg 38-36-10 Burr arch truss 107 feet (33 m) 1866 Elias McMellen No (Private property) Red Run Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-30 Burr arch truss 96 feet (29 m) 1847 rebuilt 1855 accidentally damaged by a truck on December 31, 2017 Charles Malhorn and Levi Fink Yes (one lane) Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Shearer's Covered Bridge Shearer's Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-31 Burr arch truss 89 feet (27 m) 1847 rebuilt 1855 moved 1971 Jacob Clare No (Foot traffic only) Shearer's Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge 2600px.jpg 38-36-37 Burr arch truss 88 feet (27 m) 1885 withstood Agnes flood of '72 closed September 2011 reopened August 2013 James C. Carpenter Yes (one lane) Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Weaver's Mill Covered Bridge Weaver's Mill Covered Bridge Three Quarters View 3008px.jpg 38-36-02 Burr arch truss 85 feet (26 m) 1878 B. J. Carter and J. F. Stauffer Yes (one lane) Weaver's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
White Rock Forge Covered Bridge White Rock Forge Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-18 Burr arch truss 103 feet (31 m) 1847 rebuilt 1884 John Russell and Elias McMellen Yes (one lane) White Rock Forge Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Willow Hill Covered Bridge Willow Hill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-43 Burr arch truss 93 feet (28 m) 1962 Roy Zimmerman No (Foot traffic only) Willow Hill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png
Zook's Mill Covered Bridge Zook's Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg 38-36-14 Burr arch truss 74 feet (23 m) 1849 very little flooding from Cocalico Creek but has a high water marker from the Agnes 72 flood. Henry Zook Yes (one lane) Zook's Mill Covered Bridge Dot Map.png

Former Bridges

Some covered bridges in Lancaster County are no longer standing. Here are a few examples:

†Located on the border between Lancaster County and Chester County

‡Located on the border between Lancaster County and York County

See also

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