Banks Covered Bridge

About

Banks Covered Bridge crosses Neshannock Creek in Wilmington Township, Lawrence County, southeast of New Wilmington and near Volant. It is a Burr arch truss about 121 ft long, built in 1889, and it is open to vehicle traffic. Wikipedia places it on Township Road 476.

History

The sources reviewed do not name the builder. Lawrence County probably had only about five covered bridges, and Banks and McConnell's Mill are the only two that remain. Both were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 27, 1980, under the Lawrence County Covered Bridges thematic nomination, which lists Lawrence County as the owner. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1999 and again in 2021, the second time at a cost of $440,000.

Design

The Burr arch truss combines a long timber arch with a multiple kingpost truss. Banks Covered Bridge rests on stone foundations and is now also supported by steel girders. Wikipedia notes that its interior walls resemble those of many Bucks County covered bridges. The National Register form gives the length as 121 ft; another account gives 129 ft.

Visiting

The bridge is open to vehicles, and a 2021 account notes that cars and Amish buggies both use it. Uncovering PA notes parking on both sides of the bridge along Covered Bridge Road and Gerber Road.

Sources: Banks Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Visiting the covered bridges of Lawrence County (Uncovering PA), Banks Covered Bridge (Gribblenation)

Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.