Editing Keller's Mill Covered Bridge

{{short description|Covered bridge in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox bridge
| name                = Keller's Mill Covered Bridge
| native_name         = 
| native_name_lang    = 
| official_name       = Cocalico No. 5 Bridge
| other_name          = Guy Bard's
| named_for           = 
<!-- image --> 
| image               = Kellers Mill Covered Bridge Side View 3000px.jpg
| caption             = On Rettew Mill Road in July 2006, before the bridge was disassembled and moved
<!-- location -->
| coordinates         = {{coord|40|9|51|N|76|13|57|W|display=inline,title}} 
| locale              = [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]], Pennsylvania, United States
<!-- stats -->
| carries             = Middle Creek Road (TR 660)
| crosses             = [[Cocalico Creek]]
| owner               = 
| maint               = [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]] 
| id_type             = [[World Guide to Covered Bridges|WGCB]] #
| id                  = 38-36-13
| website             =  
| design              = 
| length              = {{convert|74|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| width               = {{convert|15|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| height              = 
| depth               = 
| number_spans        = 
| piers_in_water      = 
| load                = 
| clearance_above     = 
| clearance_below     = 
| lanes               = 
| life                = 
| num_track           = 
| track_gauge         = 
| structure_gauge     = 
| electrification     = 
| architect           = 
| designer            = 
| builder             = Elias McMellen 
| fabricator          = 
| begin               = 
| built               = 1873
| complete            = 
| cost                = 
| open                =
| inaugurated         = 
| rebuilt             = 
| destroyed           = 
| collapsed           = 
| closed              = 
| replaces            = 
| replaced_by         = 
| traffic             = 
| toll                =
<!-- extra -->
| extra               = {{Infobox NRHP
 | name                 = 
 | embed                = yes
 | nrhp_type            = 
 | architect            = 
 | architecture         = 
 | added                =  December 10, 1980
 | designated_nrhp_type = 
 | refnum               = 80003518<ref name="focus">{{Cite web |url=http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov |title=NPS Focus |work=National Register of Historic Places |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=December 18, 2010}}</ref>
 | website              = 
 | mpsub                = {{NRHP url|id=64000717|title=Covered Bridges of Lancaster County TR}}
}}
}}
The '''Keller's Mill Covered Bridge''' is a [[covered bridge]] that spans [[Cocalico Creek]] in [[Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania|Ephrata Township]], [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]] in the US state of [[Pennsylvania]]. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the '''Cocalico No. 5 Bridge'''.<ref name="lancaster.pa.us">{{Cite web|title=Keller's Mill Covered Bridge |work=Lancaster County, PA Government Portal |publisher=County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania |date=October 20, 2001 |url=http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco/cwp/view.asp?a=15&q=257162 |access-date=2006-07-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000156/http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco/cwp/view.asp?a=15&q=257162 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> It is also sometimes known as the '''Guy Bard Covered Bridge''' (after a local jurist) and '''Rettew's Covered Bridge''' (after the person for whom Rettew's Road is named).<ref name="nom form">{{Cite web |url={{NRHP-PA|H050809_01H.pdf}} |title=Guy Bard's (Keller's) Covered Bridge |publisher=[[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] |access-date=December 18, 2010}}</ref>

Due to heavy road traffic on the aging one-lane bridge, construction on a new steel and concrete bridge to bypass the covered bridge took place in the summer of 2006. According to [[Ephrata Township, Pennsylvania|Ephrata Township]] supervisor Clark Stauffer, the bridge has been disassembled and will be reassembled a few miles downstream to replace an existing one-lane Middle Creek Road bridge.<ref name="Robinson">{{cite web
 |author=Robinson, Ryan 
 |title=Rebirth of a covered bridge? 
 |work=LancasterOnline.com : News 
 |publisher=Lancaster Newspapers 
 |date=September 30, 2006 
 |url=http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/26288 
 |access-date=2006-10-01 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527235752/http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/26288 
 |archive-date=May 27, 2007 
}}</ref> It was located at {{coord|40|10|11.4|N|76|12|16.8|W|type:city}} (40.16983, −76.20467) before being disassembled.<ref name="Travis">{{cite web
 | author = Travis, Dale 
 | title = 38-36-13
 | work = Round Barns & Covered Bridges
 | url = http://www.dalejtravis.com/bridge/pennsylv/htm/3803613.htm
 | access-date = 2006-08-08 }}</ref>

==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.<ref name="padutch"/> It remained in place until it was disassembled and moved in 2006. The bridge was reconstructed in 2009 and reopened on Middle Creek Road in December 2010.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Keller's Mill Covered Bridge |date=December 12, 2010 |newspaper=[[Intelligencer Journal]] / [[Lancaster New Era]] |url=http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/323605 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708111702/http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/323605 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2010 }}</ref>

== Design ==
Keller's Mill Covered Bridge has a single span, wooden, double [[Burr arch truss]]es design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks.<ref name="lancaster.pa.us"/> The bridge is the only all white bridge in the county, not red. In fact, just about all covered bridges were whitewashed both inside and out.<ref name="padutch">{{cite web
 |title=Keller's Mill Covered Bridge 
 |work=Lancaster County Pennsylvania Dutch Country Official Visitors Center 
 |publisher=Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau 
 |year=2006 
 |url=http://www.padutchcountry.com/member_pages/keller_s_mill_covered_bridge.asp 
 |access-date=2006-07-07 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317124507/http://www.padutchcountry.com/member_pages/keller_s_mill_covered_bridge.asp 
 |archive-date=March 17, 2006 
}}</ref> 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:''' {{convert|62|ft|m}} [[Span (architecture)|span]] and {{convert|74|ft|m}} total length<ref name="nom form"/><ref name="Bickel">{{cite web
 | author = Bickel, Hank
 | title = Keller Bridge  
 | work = Covered Bridges of the Northeast USA
 | date = June 23, 2005
 | url = http://www.coveredbridgesite.com/pa/keller.html
 | access-date = 2006-08-04 }}</ref>
*'''Width:''' {{convert|13|ft|2|in|m}} clear deck and {{convert|15|ft|m}} total width<ref name="nom form"/><ref name="Bickel"/>
*'''Overhead clearance:''' {{convert|11|ft|m}}
*'''Underclearance:'''  {{convert|9|ft|8|in|m}}

'''Rebuilt in 2010'''
*'''Length:''' {{convert|72|ft|m}} [[Span (architecture)|span]] and {{convert|74|ft|m}} total length
*'''Width:''' {{convert|13.1|ft|2|in|m}} clear deck and {{convert|16|ft|m}} total width
*'''Overhead clearance:''' {{convert|9|ft|6|in|m}}
*'''Underclearance:'''  {{convert|13|ft|8|in|m}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Transport|Engineering|National Register of Historic Places|Pennsylvania}}
* [[List of covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Keller's Mill Covered Bridge}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania}}
{{NRHP bridges}}

[[Category:Bridges completed in 1873]]
[[Category:Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Wooden bridges in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Burr Truss bridges in the United States]]