Keller's Mill Covered Bridge

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox 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.<ref name="lancaster.pa.us">Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite web</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 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">Template:Cite web</ref> It was located at Template:Coord (40.16983, −76.20467) before being disassembled.<ref name="Travis">Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<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">Template:Cite web</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.

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Rebuilt in 2010

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See also

• List of covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania