Sandbeach, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sandbeach, Pennsylvania
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Unincorporated community
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Southwestern approach to Sandbeach
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Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Dauphin |
Township | South Hanover |
Elevation | 361 ft (110 m) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Area code(s) | 717 |
Sand Beach (also known as Sandbeach) is a small, unincorporated community in South Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. This means it's a settled area that isn't officially a city or town with its own local government. It's located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Sand Beach is part of the larger Harrisburg-Carlisle metropolitan area. This is a region where many towns and cities are connected. It's also quite close to Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is famous for its chocolate! A cool fact about Sand Beach is that it's where two creeks meet: the smaller Manada Creek flows into the larger Swatara Creek.
A Look Back: Its History
Sand Beach wasn't always called Sand Beach. When it was first founded, it had a different name: Manadaville.
The community later changed its name to Sand Beach. This new name came from a post office that was set up in the area. It's interesting how places get their names, sometimes from a simple building like a post office!
The Famous Covered Bridge
One of the most notable landmarks connected to Sand Beach was the Sand Beach Covered Bridge. It was also sometimes called the Church Ford Covered Bridge. This was a very long wooden bridge, measuring about 220 feet (67 meters).
The bridge was a special type called a Burr arch truss bridge. It was first built in 1853 to cross the Swatara Creek, connecting Derry Township and South Hanover Township. Sadly, it burned down, but it was rebuilt in 1906.
In 1964, a company called Hershey Enterprises helped restore the bridge, making it look new again. However, just two years later, on the night of September 3, 1966, the historic bridge tragically burned down again and was lost forever.