Keller's Mill Covered Bridge
Keller's Mill Covered Bridge | |
Guy Bard's, Rettew's | |
![]() On Rettew Mill Road in July 2006, before the bridge was disassembled and moved | |
Official name: Cocalico No. 5 Bridge | |
Country | United States |
---|---|
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Lancaster |
Township | Ephrata |
Road | Middle Creek Road (TR 660) |
Crosses | Cocalico Creek |
Coordinates | 40°9′51″N 76°13′57″W / 40.16417°N 76.23250°WCoordinates: 40°9′51″N 76°13′57″W / 40.16417°N 76.23250°W |
Length | 74 ft (23 m) |
- Mainspan | 64 ft (20 m) |
Width | 15 ft (5 m) |
Builder | Elias McMellen |
Design | Burr Arch truss bridge |
Material | Wood |
Built | 1873 |
- Rebuilt | 1891 |
- Added to NRHP | December 10, 1980 |
- Disassembled | 2006 |
- Reopened | December 2010 |
Governing body | Lancaster County |
WGCB # | 38-36-13 |
NRHP # | 80003518 [1] |
MPS | Covered Bridges of Lancaster County TR |
![]() Location of the Keller's Mill Covered Bridge in Pennsylvania | |
Wikimedia Commons: Keller's Mill Covered Bridge | |
The Keller's Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Cocalico Creek in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County in the US state of Pennsylvania. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Cocalico No. 5 Bridge.[2] It is also sometimes known as Guy Bard Covered Bridge (after a local jurist) and Rettew's Covered Bridge (after the person that Rettew's Road is named).[3]
Due to heavy road traffic on the aging, one-lane bridge, construction on a new steel and concrete bridge to bypass the covered bridge occurred in the summer of 2006. According to Ephrata Township supervisor Clark Stauffer, the bridge has been disassembled and will be reassembled a few miles downstream to replace an existing one lane Mill Creek Road bridge.[4] It was located at 40°10′11.4″N 76°12′16.8″W / 40.169833°N 76.204667°W (40.16983, −76.20467) before being disassembled.[5]
History
Keller's Mill Covered Bridge was originally built by Elias McMellen in 1873 at a cost of US$2,075. After being swept away in flooding, the bridge was rebuilt in 1891, again by McMellen.[6] It stayed there until it was disassembled and moved in 2006. The bridge was reopened on Middle Creek Road in December 2010.[7]
Design
Keller's Mill Covered 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.[2] The bridge is the only all white bridge in the county,[6] the only bridge to have survived the transition from whitewashing to the red color commonly used in barns throughout the county. The bridge is not painted on the inside.
- Length: 62 feet (18.9 m) span and 74 feet (22.6 m) total length[3][8]
- Width: 13 feet 2 inches (4.0 m) clear deck and 15 feet (4.6 m) total width[3][8]
- Overhead clearance: 11 feet (3.4 m)
- Underclearance: 9 feet 8 inches (2.9 m)
Rebuilt in 2010
- Length: 72 feet (21.9 m) span and 74 feet (22.6 m) total length
- Width: 13.1 feet 2 inches (4.0 m) clear deck and 16 feet (5.1 m) total width
- Overhead clearance: 9 feet 6 inches (2.9 m)
- Underclearance: 13 feet 8 inches (4.0 m)
See also
- List of covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
References
- ↑ "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
- 1 2 "Keller's Mill Covered Bridge". Lancaster County, PA Government Portal. County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. October 20, 2001. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
- 1 2 3 "Guy Bard's (Keller's) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
- ↑ Robinson, Ryan (September 30, 2006). "Rebirth of a covered bridge?". LancasterOnline.com : News. Lancaster Newspapers. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
- ↑ Travis, Dale. "38-36-13". Round Barns & Covered Bridges. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
- 1 2 "Keller's Mill Covered Bridge". Lancaster County Pennsylvania Dutch Country Official Visitors Center. Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
- ↑ "Keller's Mill Covered Bridge". Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era. December 12, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
- 1 2 Bickel, Hank (June 23, 2005). "Keller Bridge". Covered Bridges of the Northeast USA. Retrieved 2006-08-04.