Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge
Encyclopedia
Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge is a 102 feet (31.1 m), Burr Arch Truss
covered bridge
over Chiques Creek
between Rapho and West Hempfield townships, Lancaster County
in U.S.
state of Pennsylvania
. Owned and maintained by the county, its official designation is the Big Chiques #6 Bridge.
The bridge's World Guide to Covered Bridges
Number is 38-36-37. Added in 1980, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as structure number 80003513. The bridge is less than a mile away from the Forry's Mill Covered Bridge
.
. It was named after the Siegrist family who lived nearby.
The bridge survived Hurricane Agnes
in 1972 with only minor damage. However, the Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge, which weighed five tons, was ripped from its foundations and swept downstream on September 8, 2011, by flooding caused by remnants of Tropical Storm Lee
. The bridge's siding, roof and some "structual members" will need to replaced. It is expected to cost $750,000 and the bridge to be reopened in November 2012.
|publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=September 9, 2011}}
Burr Truss
The Burr Arch Truss — or simply Burr Truss or Burr Arch — is a combination of an arch and a multiple kingpost truss design. It was invented in 1804 by Theodore Burr, patented on April 3, 1817, and used in bridges, usually covered bridges....
covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
over Chiques Creek
Chiques Creek
Chiques Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Lebanon and Lancaster counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.The source is at an elevation of near Mount Gretna Heights in Lebanon County...
between Rapho and West Hempfield townships, Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
in U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Owned and maintained by the county, its official designation is the Big Chiques #6 Bridge.
The bridge's World Guide to Covered Bridges
World Guide to Covered Bridges
The World Guide to Covered Bridges is a covered bridge numbering system. The system was invented by John Diehl, the chairman of the Ohio Covered Bridge Committee. The committee first used the numbering system in 1953 to publish a list of covered bridges in Ohio....
Number is 38-36-37. Added in 1980, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as structure number 80003513. The bridge is less than a mile away from the Forry's Mill Covered Bridge
Forry's Mill Covered Bridge
Forry's Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Chiques Creek in West Hempfield in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Big Chiques #7 Bridge...
.
History
The bridge was built in 1885 by James C. CarpenterJames C. Carpenter
James C. Carpenter was a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania covered bridge builder. He is known to have built nine covered bridges, five of which still exist. Two of his bridges, Herr's Mill Covered Bridge and Colemanville Covered Bridge, are among the longest covered bridges remaining in the county...
. It was named after the Siegrist family who lived nearby.
The bridge survived Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
in 1972 with only minor damage. However, the Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge, which weighed five tons, was ripped from its foundations and swept downstream on September 8, 2011, by flooding caused by remnants of Tropical Storm Lee
Tropical Storm Lee (2011)
Tropical Storm Lee was the twelfth named storm and thirteenth system overall of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, developing from a broad tropical disturbance over the Gulf on September 1. It was designated as Tropical Storm Lee the next day...
. The bridge's siding, roof and some "structual members" will need to replaced. It is expected to cost $750,000 and the bridge to be reopened in November 2012.
Design
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.Dimensions
- Length: 92 feet (28 m) spanSpan (architecture)Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...
and 102 feet (31.1 m) total length - Width: 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 m) clear deck and 15 feet (4.6 m) total width
- Overhead clearance: 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m)
- Underclearance: 10 feet (3.0 m)
See also
- List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- List of covered bridges in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
External links
Mill Covered Bridge |work=Covered Bridges of Lancaster County Thematic Resource |year=1980 |url=https://www.dot7.state.pa.us/ce_imagery/phmc_scans/H050811_01H.pdf |format=PDFPortable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
|publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=September 9, 2011}}