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Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge, Lancaster County Pennsylvania

Parent Category: Chester County Photographer
Created: 21 December 2009

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Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge, Lancaster County Pennsylvania

Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge or Eichelberger's Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans the West Branch of the Octoraro Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the West Octoraro #1 Bridge. The bridge is purportedly the only covered bridge in the county that is not built perpendicular to the stream it crosses due to the placement of the sawmill on one side of the bridge and the rock formations faced by the builders on the other side.

The 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. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in the traditional white color.

The bridge's WGCB Number is 38-36-33. In 1986 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003520. It is located at 39°53′49.2″N 76°4′48″W / 39.897°N 76.08°W / 39.897; -76.08 (39.89700, -76.08000). The bridge can be found in Bart Township, 3.25 mi (5.2 km) to the east of Quarryville and 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of Pennsylvania Route 372 on Mt Pleasant Road. Due to its remote location in an isolated part of the county, it is seen less than many of the county's other covered bridges that are closer to the major populations centers such as Lancaster.


History

The bridge was built in 1878 by John Smith and Samuel Stauffer at a cost of $2,410. In 1985 it was destroyed in a flood and was rebuilt at a cost to the county of $75,000. During the rebuilding, the bridge was raised 3 feet (1 m) to protect it against future flooding. As of the summer of 2006, the bridge was in good conditions having undergone a recent rehabilitation in May 2005. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson%27s_Sawmill_Covered_Bridge


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