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Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania
(WGN
38-36-21) (WGCB PA-36-21) (1891;
repaired c. 1955) A two-span, Burr arch truss, 178' over Pequea
Creek. Located: In Mill Bridge Village, between Paradise and
Leacock Townships, Pennsylvania. Directions: In the village
of Ronks, Pennsylvania, on US 30, just west of Soudersburg, Pennsylvania,
go south on Ronks Road (TR 696) for 0.5 mile to the bridge, off the road
to the left in the Amish Village. There were two other bridges at
this site. The first was constructed in 1844 for $1,787 and the second
in 1873 for $1,860. The current bridge was built in 1891. It is located
on the Herr’s Mill Historical Site, a restored Amish village. There
is a well preserved stone structure, housing the mill, that dates back
to 1728 adjacent to the bridge. In 1955 Hurricane Hazel blew the roof off
the bridge and dropped it directly across the creek, intact, creating two
separate spans across the Pequea. Amish children are reported to
have used the roof as a foot bridge on their daily trek to their one-room
school. It is the only remaining two-span covered bridge in the county.
The bridge is used by the Amish village for tourists’ carriage rides.
It has been bypassed by Ronks Road (TR 696) and is closed to all other
traffic by a heavy door. The side door on the bridge is used to measure
the level of the stream in relation to the bridge, and to provide local
fishermen with access to the stream. The sides are covered with vertical
boards, and the gable ends of the portals have wooden shingles. It
also has several side windows, which are protected by shingled awnings.
Also known as the Soudersburg Covered Bridge. It was listed
on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1980.
(Oct 2004) |
