u/Covbridger

Samuel Harnish's Sawmill or Pequea Bridge, Conestoga-Martic, PA Built about 1904. A 1906 postcard image snagged from the internet. From the author’s collection.

PA/38-36-U03x Samuel Harnish's Sawmill / Pequea Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #22, now it is state owned. This apparently was the end of it being a covered bridge. According to the Saturday, May 7, 1904 issue of The Lancaster Examiner, James B. Miller of Gordonville, PA built an unhoused single span wooden arched pony truss bridge at a cost of $817.00 on the old abutments, which had also been badly damaged. It was likely close to the same dimensions as the covered bridge. 
   This bridge stood until replaced by a six span, 290-foot-long bridge that was composed of a Pratt through truss span, fabricated by Nelson-Merydith Co., of Chambersburg Pennsylvania and five reinforced concrete T beam approach spans, one to the north and four to the south of the truss span at, or close to the same site in 1913. This bridge was replaced by the present three span concrete bridge at the same site in 2008.
   The road changes names at the bridge, which is oriented north-northeast to south-southwest, with River Hill Road on the Conestoga Township side and Susquehanna Street, leading into the village of Pequea, on the Martic Township side. The state number on both sides is Route 324 - SR0324 39° 53.2645'N, 76° 21.997'W

Samuel Harnish's Sawmill / Pequea Bridge. This is the only photograph that has surfaced to date that shows any part of the covered bridge. It was found almost seven years ago, on May 24, 2019. If the photographer had ventured upstream the short distance seen, to photograph the covered bridge alone, the scan has yet to show up in the Historical Society's digital archives. Courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society Digital Archives. 

PA/38-36-126x Samuel Harnish's Sawmill / Pequea Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #22, now it is state owned. The first bridge at the site was built in 1860 by Davis Kitch according to the Lancaster Examiner and Herald of Wednesday, June 20, 1860 for a bridge of 90’ span for $1,274.00, but this was not found in the dockets. Another was built in 1871 by Elias McMellen at a cost of $3,375.00. Then there's another for a new bridge from The New Era - Lancaster, dated to Wednesday, April 6, 1887, built by Jacob Kauffman at a cost of $645.00. Previously thought to have been the 1871 bridge, this was likely the one washed away on July 25, 1902 and rebuilt by Elias McMellen the same year for $1,750.00.
   It was a single span Burr Truss 112' long, with a 100' clear span, a 14' roadway, a 12'6" clearance and stood 13' above water. It was washed away again on Tuesday, March 8, 1904 during the great ice freshet and was replaced by an uncovered wood truss bridge, PA/38-36-U03x.
   The road changes names at the bridge, which is oriented north-northeast to south-southwest, with River Hill Road on the Conestoga Township side and Susquehanna Street, leading into the village of Pequea, on the Martic Township side. The state number on both sides is Route 324 - SR0324. 39° 53.2645'N, 76° 21.997'W

Martic Township end of the new Colemanville Bridge. Photos by the author. All taken December 17, 2021.

PA/38-36-55   Colemanville  Bridge #2-   Crosses Pequea Creek. Pequea #12. It is a single span segmented Burr truss, built in 1990 by the now defunct Lancaster County Bridge Crew, at a cost of $350,000.00, with an overall length of 160’. The clear span is 142’, with a 14’10” roadway, a 13’ clearance and at 19’ above water, this stands higher than any other covered bridge in the county.
   For approximately three years, the two bridges stood side by side, which is why this one was given a new World Guide Number. Other than the wide single segmented arches as opposed to the double arches of the old bridge and its slightly shorter length, it is identical in appearance to the old bridge.
   It is oriented north to south on Fox Hollow Road (T408) between Conestoga and Martic Townships.
39° 53.9331'N, 76° 20.5302'W

The old Colemanville Covered Bridge in 1990 showing the new style portal that became popular in the rebuild after it was washed away by Tropical Storm Agnes on Thursday June 22, 1972. The double concentric Burr arch truss is clearly visible in this pre-removal photo. The new Colemanville Bridge has this same portal design as well as four other existing Lancaster County covered bridges. Photo by the author.

A good source for the Colemanville Water Power Company:
Holtwood and Safe Harbor weren’t Lancaster’s only hydroelectric dams. Enter the Colemanville Water & Power Company – Uncharted Lancaster 

PA/38-36-26x   The Original Colemanville Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #21, now the new bridge is #12. It was a single span double Burr truss, originally built by James C. Carpenter in 1856 at a cost of $2,244.00. Overall length was 167’, with a clear span of 153’, a 14’ roadway, a 13’ clearance and stood 13’ above water.
   It was washed away in the flash flood of Sunday, June 26, 1938, but returned to its abutments by Edmond Gardner and crew. It was washed away again, on Thursday, June 22, 1972, by Tropical Storm Agnes and again brought back to the old abutments by the late David Esh and his Amish work crew.
   A new covered bridge (PA/38-36-55) was built on the downstream side of the old one with the idea of removing the old bridge when the new one was finished. A legal battle involving land ownership on the Martic Township (south) side developed, which delayed the opening of the new bridge for about two years and for part of this time the old bridge was still being used. During the week of July 18, 1993, the old bridge was demolished. Work was completed by July 27, 1993. Remnants of both abutments are still there, but as of April 1, 2026, are rapidly deteriorating. 
   It was oriented north to south on Fox Hollow Road (T408) between Conestoga and Martic Townships. Coordinates are at the center of the old abutments. 39° 53.9282'N, 5276° 20.02'W

This was another where there were no photos of this in the bridge dockets. All photos came from other sources.

Martic Forge Covered Bridge. Image taken from page 165 in Lancaster County Postcards, Windows to Our Past, Volume Two, the second of two books published by the Lancaster County Postcard Club.

PA/38-36-125x   Martic Forge Bridge- Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #20, now state owned. The first bridge at the site was built in 1844 by Samuel M. Steele at a cost of $1,749.00. The next bridge was built by Elias McMellen in 1884. It was a single span double Burr truss with an overall length of 163’. The clear span was 153’, with a 14’6” roadway, a 13’ clearance and was 13’ above water.
   It was located between Conestoga and Martic Townships on Route 324 (SR0324). The road changes names on either end of the bridge, with Marticville Road on the Conestoga Township end and Pequea Boulevard on the other.
   The covered bridge stood at this location until destroyed by fire about 10:00 PM on Monday January 27, 1919. This was one occasion where the fire was not thought to have been caused by arson, but, as one local resident claimed, had been started by a discarded cigar butt, tossed away by a careless traveler.
   Following the destruction, it was replaced by a temporary bridge of unknown design, built by Harry Warful for $756.77 in 1919 on the original abutments. This bridge was replaced by an open steel bridge, also on the old abutments, at a cost of $12,447.29 by G.W. Pearthree and that bridge was still standing in 1969, per https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer#. But was replaced by the present two span steel and concrete bridge a short time later. The original site was oriented east-southeast to west-northwest on the upstream (north) side, whereas the present bridge is oriented east to west. Coordinates are at the old site. 39° 54.3437’N, 76° 19.6897’W

Gentleman John J. Good’s Bridge c1924, courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society Digital Archives.

This was the next one downstream from Sickman's Mill Bridge.

PA/38-36-124x   Gentleman John J. Good’s Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #19-½, then #10, then #11, now the site is abandoned (2026). It was a single span Burr truss. Built in 1892 by Elias McMellen at a cost of $2,322.00, this was the last covered bridge built by the county where there had not previously been some type of earlier construction at the site. Overall length was 102’, with a clear span of 85’, a roadway of 16’, a clearance of 13’ and stood 11’ above water. 
   It was oriented northeast to southwest between Conestoga and Martic Townships. On the 1941 Type 10 map, even though it was already gone by then, it was shown in the middle of an “S” curve on an old section of Loop Road (T413) until it was washed away on Sunday June 26, 1938. 
   There is no trace of the old road on a Historic Aerial Viewer photo dated to April 29, 1940, but the remnants of both abutments were still there in a May 3, 2001 field study at the site. The April 29, 1940 image also showed the two span steel combination bridge that replaced it, under construction, about 830’ downstream (east-southeast) from the old site, with the new pier and both abutments clearly visible. 
   The longer southern span was a steel Pratt pony truss, while the other was an open steel span. The replacement bridge and pier were removed between 2015 and 2017, but the abutments still stand as of April 2026. This bridge, per Bridgehunter.com, was about 154’ long with an 18’ wide deck. On a 1990 Type 10 map, the replacement bridge was found on a new alignment of Loop Road at the base of a “T” intersection with Pequea Creek Road. A right turn off the southern end continued the T413 designation, while a left turn started T415. Coordinates for the covered bridge site are close, but approximate. 39° 55.3828’N, 76° 19.5118’W

 Frederick Sickman's / Horse Hollow / Pequea Roller Mill Bridge c1924, courtesy of the
Lancaster County Courthouse Digital Archives.

The next known wood truss bridge downstream from Good's Distillery Bridge was Sickman's Mill Bridge.

A good source on Horse Hollow. The Magnetic Ore Mine operation was also found here. 
(Clickable at the end, along with a nice piece on Sickman’s Mill).
https://unchartedlancaster.com/2021/08/22/forgotten-places-conestoga-centres-horse-hollow/ 

PA/38-36-123x   Frederick Sickman's / Horse Hollow / Pequea Roller Mill Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #19, now state owned. It was a single span Burr truss, built in 1859 by Levi Fink and Henry Hess at a cost of $1,189.00. It had an overall length of 110’6”, with a clear span of 90’, a 14’2” roadway, a 13’ clearance and was 12’ above water. 
   It was oriented east-northeast to west-southwest between Conestoga and Martic Townships until washed away on Sunday June 26, 1938, where it floated downstream and landed in a meadow. By 1941, it had been stripped down to nothing, being used to repair barns and other buildings in the area.
   A new two span steel bridge with railings, built on new stone abutments and center pier was finished at the same site and alignment by the end of 1938. There is no sign of the old stone abutments anywhere in the area. Also, the alignments match that of a 1912 USGS McCalls Ferry topographic map. That bridge was replaced by the current one between 2019 and 2022.
   The road on both sides was formerly LR36026, but when the newer SR numbers were assigned, the Conestoga Township road, Sickman’s Mill Road, was turned over to the county and is now T408. On the other side, Frogtown Road and the bridge itself are both still state owned, with SR3023 being the new number. Some maps call this Sand Hill Road on both sides. Coordinates are at the center of the present bridge. 39° 56.0162’N, 76° 19.3447’W

Above image, John G. Good’s Distillery / Burnt Mill Bridge c1924, courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society Digital Archives. Many of their Courthouse covered bridge photos are either misidentified, or misinterpreted. They were given to the Society as a gift from Gordon Reed. The only way to correctly ID the bridges was by comparing to actual bridge docket photos. Some of the Gordon Reed photos were actually better than those chosen for the dockets.

PA/38-36-122x   John G. Good’s Distillery / Burnt Mill Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #18, now it is state owned. It was a single span Burr truss, built in 1840 by John Strohm at a cost of $1,970.00. Overall length was 141’, with a clear span of 130’, a 16’ roadway, a12’4” clearance and was 12’ above water.
   It was still standing for a newspaper photo and article on the replacement in the September 20, 1930 edition of the Lancaster New Era, but was dismantled soon after.

   It was oriented northeast to southwest between Martic and Pequea Townships on an old section of Marticville Road (Route 324-SR0324), until replaced by an open two span steel plate bridge in 1930. That bridge was replaced by the present two span concrete bridge between 2008 and 2010. On the Pequea Township (north) side the old section of Marticville Road bears southward off the main road past the mill to the remains of the stone abutment on that side, about 235’ downstream (north-northwest) from the new bridge site. On the other side, even in the 1980s, the old road was gone and only a trace of the abutment remained. Coordinates are at the old site. 39° 56.468’N, 76° 18.4365’W

The surrounding terrain has changed very little in the past fifty-plus years that I have known of this bridge. The mill still stands on the Pequea township side and the bridge has been realigned to the point where it can now be framed through the interior. All photos taken by the author December 17, 2021.

PA/38-36-25 #2   Thomas Baumgardner’s / Millvale Mill Bridge (After the 1987 rebuild)-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #17, then #10. With the abandonment of #9 on Herrville Road, this may now be #9 (2026). It was totally rebuilt in 1987 by the now defunct Lancaster County Bridge Crew at a cost of $200,000.00. Most of the original truss members were retained, but the trusses have been lengthened, including the Burr arches. Total length is now 119’7”, with a clear span of 103’6”. The roadway between the innermost arches is a bit narrower, at 14’1”, but the original 12’3” clearance was retained. It now stands 13’ above water.
   The old stone abutments were removed, which accounts for the difference in dimensions. The extra length either happened with the new alignment, was added to provide a wider flow of the creek during flooding, or both. The new concrete abutments are to eventually be capped with stone, but as of April 2026, this has yet to be done.
   It still stands, oriented northeast to southwest between Martic and Pequea Townships on T425, which is Covered Bridge Road on the Martic Township (south) side and Byerland Church Road on the other.

39° 55.8398’N, 76° 17.7188’W

The next downstream wood truss bridge was the original Baumgardner's Mill Bridge. It was rebuilt near the same site. Image courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society Digital Archives.

The rebuilt bridge will be in a separate post.

PA/38-36-25x   Original Thomas Baumgardner’s / Diffenbaugh’s / Millvale Mill Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #17, then #10. With the abandonment of #9, this may now be #9 (2026). It was first built in 1860 by Davis Kitch at a cost of $1,284.00. Overall was 109’4”, with a clear span of 93’8”, a 15’ roadway, a 12’3” clearance and was 9’ above water. (June 1982 measurements.)
   It was totally rebuilt in 1987 by the former Lancaster County Bridge Crew at a cost of $200,000.00. Most of the original truss members were retained, but the trusses have been lengthened, including the Burr arches. Its appearance has changed somewhat. 39° 55.8398’N, 76° 17.7188’W

The next wood truss bridge downstream was Daniel Good's Fording Bridge on Rawlinsville Road. The above image was taken on February 24, 1957 by the late Herbert Richter, courtesy of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc.

PA/38-36-24x   Daniel Good’s Fording Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #16, now it is state owned. It was a single span Burr truss, built in 1855 by Levi Fink at a cost of $1,189.00. It had an overall length of 79’, with a clear span of 60’, a 15’ roadway, a 13’ clearance and stood 12’ above water.
   I have been interested in covered bridges for over fifty years and have heard this over and over. Have seen it in publications and even inside the Willows Bridge (PA/38-36-43) itself, that it was built from the best parts of two former authentic covered bridges that otherwise would have been destroyed. The story is that in March 1961, this bridge was dismantled and supposedly moved, along with the timbers from Miller’s Mill Bridge (PA/38-36-27x), dismantled in May 1962, to the Willows Restaurant along Route 30 East. What exactly happened to this bridge is unknown to this researcher, as there is absolutely nothing from this bridge that I can see in the extant Willows Bridge. The truss members don’t match, the Burr arch was lower to the floor and the siding was horizontal versus the vertical siding of Miller’s Mill Bridge and the Willows Bridge. Miller’s Mill Bridge was carefully marked before being dismantled and then reassembled at the Willows using these markings, which are still evident in the bridge interior as of April 2026. The interiors of Miller’s Mill Bridge and the Willows Bridge are virtually identical.
   Anyone that could have straightened this out is deceased by now, so the story will likely continue. It would be interesting to know, though, what actually ever happened to the truss members of Good’s Fording Bridge if they were, in fact, stored somewhere off site to be reused. World Guide Number PA/38-36-27 and possibly the Miller’s Mill name should have been retained for the Willows Bridge.
   At the old site, it was oriented nearly north to south between Pequea and Providence Townships on Rawlinsville Road (LR36008-SR3009). The old stone abutments were removed and the state built a two span steel and concrete bridge on new concrete abutments at the same site by the end of 1961. That bridge was replaced between 2017 and 2019 by the present 166’ two span concrete bridge at the same site. A sign at the northeast corner of the new bridge tells some history of the house and of the covered bridge. 
   Prior to its removal, it should be noted that the nearly two-mile stretch of Rawlinsville Road northward from its present intersection with Creek Road, all the way up to Baumgardner Road, didn’t exist. The traveler passed out of the north end of the covered bridge to the left and followed Creek Road as the main road to its intersection with Mount Hope School Road. A right turn off the north end led into a farm operation. Coordinates are at the site of the covered bridge, which was closer to the north end of the present bridge.  39° 56.0698'N, 76° 17.039'W

The next downstream wood truss bridge from the Herrville Railroad Bridge was the Pequea Valley Tavern or Herrville Bridge. This is the only known photo of this bridge, courtesy of the late Chester Paes, pre-1921. There were no photos of this bridge in either the old or new bridge docket books. The woman is unidentified.

If any old timers have what they think may be a photo of this bridge, could you please post it.

PA/38-36-121x   Pequea Valley Tavern / Herrville Bridge- Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #15, then state owned, then became Pequea #9 when the road was transferred back to the county when present Route 272 was built. The road is now abandoned at the site and #9 may have been transferred to PA/38-36-25 #2, the next downstream county owned site. It was a single span Burr truss, built in 1868 by Elias McMellen at a cost of $2,750.00. Overall length was 84’, with a clear span of 74’, 12’6” roadway, a 12’6” clearance and was 9’6” above water.
   It was oriented northwest to southeast between Pequea and Providence Townships on what is now called Herrville Road (T493), which is a rather large section of the former course of Route 272 (LR36007-SR0272), or the Willow Street-Lancaster Pike, until it was replaced by a two span concrete bridge, built on new concrete abutments by Solomon Butz and George H. Calder at, or near the same site for $12,990.00 in 1921. The concrete replacement bridge was removed between 2017 and 2019, but the abutments remain as of April 2026.  39° 56.6958'N, 76° 15.3433'W

The next wood truss bridge downstream from the covered bridge on an old alignment of Beaver Valley Pike was the unhoused Howe truss, called Herrville Railroad Bridge. This pre-1920 image comes courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society Digital Archives.

PA/38-36-U14x Lancaster to Quarryville Branch’s Bridge #3 or Herrville Railroad Bridge- Crossed Pequea Creek. Some data on this bridge and the rail line comes courtesy of Richard Bates, Publication Editor and Archivist for the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society and also, The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum and the Hagley Museum and Library. “The Reading Railroad built a branch line in the 1870s from Lancaster to Quarryville that included this bridge. The Reading gave up the branch during its bankruptcy in the early 1890s, and the Quarryville Branch was subsequently acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad. 
   The line was abandoned in the 1970s. The only data I have on this bridge is that the Reading identified it as "Bridge #3" and it was a single-span Howe deck truss with a 75-ft clear span, 82-ft 6-in total length. The Pennsylvania Railroad apparently rebuilt it as a deck girder sometime in the 20th Century.”
   Further information from Abandoned Rails.com at: https://www.abandonedrails.com/quarryville-branch “This line started out as the Lancaster and Quarryville Railroad and was completed in 1875. Originally planned to be a narrow gauge route under the name Lancaster and Reading Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1871, the decision to make it standard gauge was decided shortly before construction began in 1874. As with most railroads in rural Pennsylvania, it carried both passengers and freight.
   Passenger service along the line ceased in 1909. A few years later, the L&Q merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad on April 30th, 1915. The railroad was severely damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes on June 22-23, 1972, and was abandoned soon after. Today, numerous bridges remain, along with three stations, and some warehouses with door sills still at boxcar-floor height. A few bits of rails can be seen here and there, as well as various cuts and fills.”
   It was oriented east to west between Pequea and Strasburg Townships. Coordinates are in the center of the present bridge. 39° 56.9322'N, 76° 15.0912'W

 Circa 1915 view of Beaver Valley / Beaver Valley Road Bridge, courtesy of the Lancaster County Courthouse Digital Archives. This is the only known photo of the covered bridge. The Lancaster and Quarryville Railway Company crossed the adjacent steel or iron through truss bridge and immediately crossed over to the other side of the road after the covered bridge.

PA/38-36-120x   Beaver Valley / Beaver Valley Road Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #14, now state owned. It was a single span double Burr truss, built in 1827 by William English at a cost of $1,800.00. Overall length was 98’, with a clear span of 88’, a 13’6” roadway, a 12’ clearance and was 16’ from water.
   The adjacent through truss steel or iron bridge was part of the Lancaster and Quarryville Railway Company, chartered December 31, 1903. On November 30, 1905  the line was opened to New Providence, and on February 10, 1906, to Quarryville. The railway was discontinued in early 1932 when buses took over the route.
   The covered bridge was oriented north to south between Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships on Beaver Valley Pike (Route 222-SR0222) until replaced by a two span concrete bridge, partially using the old abutments by John T. Brubaker and Frederick A. Heart at a cost of $10,475.94 in 1918. This bridge was replaced before July 1971 (Penn Pilot aerials) by a three span steel and concrete bridge about 55’ upstream (east) from the old site. In 2002, the 1960s-era bridge was replaced by the present three span concrete bridge, but utilized the piers and abutments of its predecessor. Nothing remains of the old bridge site, but a line of telephone poles crosses over Pequea Creek where the old bridge stood.
   The timbers from the dismantled bridge were offered for public sale as early as Monday November 18, 1918 in the Lancaster New Era. 39° 57.5458’N, 76° 14.7125’W

Jacob H. Zercher’s / J. Harnish’s / Harold Hunsecker’s Lime Valley Mill Twin Bridge #2 by the author October 11, 2021.

PA/38-36-23   Jacob H. Zercher’s / J. Harnish’s / Harold Hunsecker’s Lime Valley Mill Twin Bridge #2-   Crosses Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #13, now #8. Another Lancaster County covered bridge that has undergone a significant portal change in the last 40 to 50 years. Such changes tend to ignore the unique character of the bridge. If a bridge is rehabilitated to the point where the portal has to be reconstructed, it should be a replica of the original, if for no other reason, to commemorate the work of the original builder.
   It is a single span Burr truss, built in 1871 by Joseph Cramer at a cost of $2,597.00. Overall length is 103’4”, with a 91’ clear span, a 14’ roadway, an 11’11” clearance and stands 13’ above water.
   Twin #1 (PA/38-36-119x) was located upstream from the mill, while Twin #2 still stands downstream, oriented nearly north to south on Breneman Road (T498) between Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships. Another covered bridge (PA/38-36-58x) was located about 1,840’ to the south on the same road, spanning Little Beaver Creek until it was washed away on June 26, 1938. 
   This was a unique case where prior to 1927, the traveler could visit three covered bridges in less than a mile of traveled road. 39° 57.6388’N, 76° 14.0943’W

Circa 1915 photo of Souder’s Shop / Jacob H. Zercher’s / J. Harnish’s / Harold Hunsecker’s Lime Valley Mill Twin Bridge #1, from the Lancaster County Courthouse Bridge Dockets

PA/38-36-119x   Souder’s Shop / Jacob H. Zercher’s / J. Harnish’s / Harold Hunsecker’s Lime Valley Mill Twin Bridge #1-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Souder’s Shop was along the roadway leading down to the bridge on the Strasburg Township (east ) end. It was situated in the southern portion of Strasburg Township, specifically in the vicinity of Lime Valley Road and the Pequea Creek. This bridge and the next one downstream (PA/38-36-23), which still exists, were  both associated with the same mill, also which still exists as of April 2026, standing between the two sites. They may have been called twin bridges when both were still standing. Not because they looked alike, which they didn’t, but because they were so close together. Only about 2,300 feet as the roads were traveled. The upstream bridge was Pequea #12 in the dockets, but the plaque on the replacement bridge says #13, now it is state owned. 
   It was a single span Burr truss, built in 1857 by Silas Wolverton. The overall length was 100’, with a clear span of 91’, a 15’ roadway, a 13’ clearance and was 6’6” above water.
   It was oriented east-southeast to west-northwest between Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships on an old jug handle of road, later abandoned, about 350’ upstream (north) of the replacement bridge on Lime Valley Road (LR36028-SR2030), which is a three span concrete bridge, built in 1927 by M. Rorabaugh of Montville PA. 
   The road was relocated to its present course and the covered bridge was then removed. A trace of the old abutment on the Strasburg Township (east) end was still evident during the 1980s, but now appears to be gone. Coordinates are at the old site, but approximate. 39° 57.863’N, 76° 13.747’W

Henry Neff’s Mill Bridge by the author January 11, 2022.

PA/38-36-22   Henry Neff's Mill Bridge-   Crosses Pequea Creek. WasPequea #11, now #7. It was first built at the site by Christian Brackbill in 1824. In 1875, at a cost of $1,860.00 James C. Carpenter built the current bridge.There does not appear to be any of the 1824 timbers in the current structure. It is a single span Burr truss with an overall length of 103’, a clear span of 91’, a 12’4” clearance and stands 12’ from water.
   It is still standing, oriented nearly east to west between Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships on Penn Grant Road. The mill was torn down in 2011. 39° 58.7177’N, 76° 13.5468’W

This image from a fellow researchers collection may be remnants of the Turniptown Bridge after the September 29, 1897 fire. There are no other instances of known Lancaster County covered bridges that fit this scenario.
 
PA/38-36-118x   Henry Herr’s Mill / Edisonville / Turniptown Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was Pequea #10, now state owned. The first bridge at the site was built in 1847 by Charles Malhorn at a cost of $1,000.00. It was rebuilt in 1855 by Levi Fink and Nocholas Brown. It was rebuilt again by Elias McMellen in 1867. The third bridge was a single span Burr truss with an overall length of 135’. It had a clear span of 123’, with a 13’ roadway, a 12’6” clearance and was 11’ above water.
   It was oriented east-southeast to west-northwest between Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships on Village Road (Route 741-SR0741) until destroyed by fire Wednesday September 29, 1897. The story was found in the Thursday September 30, 1897 issue of The Morning News. 
   The fact that an additional $534.49 was paid to Isaac Milliken to get the masonry back in repair may be some evidence to support such a collapse as a result of the fire, as seen in the photo above. There are no other sites “near Lancaster” known by this researcher that such a collapse happened that would explain this photograph.The adjacent trolley bridge is missing because it didn’t come until 1901, the length of the collapsed bridge, the lay of the land and timing of the seasons looks correct.
   A single span wrought iron through truss bridge was built the same year on the old abutments for $1,949.00 by the Massillon Bridge Company. This bridge was replaced in 1923 by a two arched concrete bridge, built by J. Miller Eshleman at a cost of $19,369.30 at the same site and that bridge was replaced by the present wider two span concrete bridge in 2015. 39° 59.377’N, 76° 13.1062’W

Edisonville Trolley Bridge (right) from the author's collection.

PA/38-36-U04x   Edisonville Trolley Bridge- Crossed Pequea Creek. Existence of this as a wooden Howe truss comes courtesy of a fellow researcher. This was on the upstream (north) side of two parallel bridges, the other being an iron truss bridge that had replaced the Turniptown Covered Bridge following an 1897 fire.
   Built in 1901 as a single span with a center support pier added, it carried the rails of the Lancaster Willow Street Lampeter Strasburg Trolley. This line was chartered on November 13, 1900, but trolley service was discontinued April 11, 1932 when buses took over the route. A now unknown source stated the trolley bridge had been removed by 1938, which tends to be backed up by a Historic Aerial Viewer image showing it gone by April 29, 1940. The stone abutments and center support pier were still there along with several stone piers leading up to them on the Strasburg Township (east) side and were all in good condition, but all were removed in 2015 when a new wider two span concrete bridge for Village Road (Route 741-SR0741) was built.

   It was oriented east-southeast to west-northwest between Strasburg and West Lampeter Townships. Coordinates were taken off the center pier of the trolley bridge. 39° 59.381’N, 76° 13.1016’W

Circa 1924 Lancaster County Courthouse photo of Hartman’s Bridge

PA/38-36-117x   Hartman’s Bridge-   Crossed Pequea Creek. Was also listed as Pequea #8 in the bridge dockets, now state owned. It was a single span double Burr truss, built in 1841 by Thomas White, James Vaughn and Abraham Bowers at a cost of $1,350.00. The overall length was 140’, with a clear span of 130’, a 13’6” roadway, a 13’6” clearance and was 9’ above water.
   A search of local newspapers failed to come up with anything having to do with the disappearance of this bridge. It was standing for the above c1924 bridge docket photo, but was gone in April 29, 1940 Historic Aerial viewer imagery.
   It was oriented north-northwest to south-southeast between East Lampeter and Strasburg Townships on Hartman Bridge Road (Route 896-LR36011-SR0896). A single span steel through truss bridge took its place. The old abutments had been modified on the upstream (eastern) side to accommodate the slightly wider bridge, which resulted in the removal of the stone wingwalls on that side. That bridge was replaced by a three span steel and concrete bridge in 1952, and that bridge was replaced in 2015 by the present three span bridge at the same site. 40° 0.3628'N, 76° 11.1795'W