Neffs Mill Covered Bridge (aka Pequea 7 or Bowmams Covered Bridge), Willow Street, Pennsylvania
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Neffs Mill Covered Bridge goes by many different names being also know as Pequea 7 after the creek it spans as well as Bowmans Mill Covered Bridge. It is situated on the border of West Lampeter Township and Strasburg Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
It was originally built by Christian Brackbill in 1824 making it the oldest covered bridge in Lancaster County. At this time it was known as Bowmans Mill Covered Bridge. It was rebuilt in 1875 by James C. Carpenter. The bridge is of a double Burr arch truss design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks.
It is the narrowest bridge in the county with a clear portal opening of only twelve feet, ten inches. It is 102-feet long and open to traffic.
Lancaster County has the largest concentration of covered bridges in Pennsylvania with 28 including the nearby White Rock Forge Covered Bridge. All bar three of these are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Neffs Mill was added to the list in December 1980.
The most comprehensive guide for finding and/or learning about Covered Bridges in this area is Pennsylvania’s Covered Bridges: A Complete Guide by Benjamin D. Evans. It was published quite a few years ago now (but is still available on Amazon) but nothing else even comes close.
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| October 29, 2014
Nice Mark, we have a few covered bridges up North of me in Ohio we have visited, fun stuff