Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge

The Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge or Mercer's Ford Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans the East branch of the Octoraro Creek on the border between Lancaster County and Chester County in Pennsylvania, United States.[1] A Lancaster County-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the East Octoraro #2 Bridge.[2]

Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge
Coordinates	39.9315°N 75.9815°W
Locale	Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Other name(s)	East Octoraro #2 Bridge
Characteristics
Design	single span, single Burr arch truss
Total length	80 feet (24.4 m)
History
Constructed by	B. J. Carter
Construction start	1880
Location

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.[2] 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 has a single window on only one side of the bridge.

The bridge's WGCB Numbers are 38-15-19/38-36-38. Added in 1980, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003509.[3] It is located at 39°55′53.4″N 75°58′53.4″W (39.93150, -75.98150).[4] The bridge is located in Sadsbury Township, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of Christiana on Bailey Crossroads Road off Creek Road, to the south of Pennsylvania Route 372.[5]

History

The bridge was built in 1880 by B. J. Carter.[5] Along with the Pine Grove Covered Bridge (built in 1884), it was one of a number of covered bridges built along the border between Lancaster and Chester counties.

Dimensions [2]

• Length: 80 feet (26.5 m) span ^Note:[6]
• Width: 15 feet 4 inches (4.7 m) ^Note:[6]
• Overhead clearance: 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m)
• Underclearance: 13 feet 6 inches (4.1 m)

Gallery

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See also

• Burr arch truss
• List of Lancaster County covered bridges

References

1. McCain, Dr. Roger A. "Mercer's Mill Bridge". A Guide to Old Covered Bridges of Southeastern Pennsylvania and nearby areas. Archived from the original on 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2006-08-03.
2. "Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge". Lancaster County, PA Government Portal. County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 2001-10-20. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
3. "PENNSYLVANIA - Lancaster County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
4. Travis, Dale. "38-15-19/38-36-38". Round Barns & Covered Bridges. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
5. "Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge". Lancaster County Pennsylvania Dutch Country Official Visitors Center. Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
6. McCain's length, clear width, and total width measurements (86 feet (26.2 m), 14 feet 5 inches (4.4 m), and 15 feet (4.6 m) respectively) differ from the Lancaster County government's 87 foot (26.5 m) span length and 15 feet 4 inch (4.7 m) clear deck width. The government's numbers are used, however it is not clear what the correct measurements are.