Fleisher's Covered Bridge

About

Fleisher's Covered Bridge crosses Big Buffalo Creek northwest of Newport in Oliver Township, Perry County. It is a single-span Burr arch truss bridge built in 1887. Lengths differ by source: Uncovering PA gives 125 feet, while Wikipedia and coveredbridges.net give 113 feet. Coveredbridges.net reports that it is open to traffic.

History

Yohn and Ritter built the bridge in 1887. Steel I-beams were added in 1960, and repairs to the fourth bearing point were completed in 1986. In 1993 engineers recommended new steel floor beams and hangers to shift the arch and truss loads onto steel, and a Sentinel article that year reported on the leaning bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1980, as part of the Covered Bridges of Adams, Cumberland, and Perry Counties group.

Design

A Burr arch truss pairs a long timber arch with a multiple kingpost truss on each side of the bridge. Fleisher's is a single-span bridge, and Wikipedia lists Yohn and Ritter as its designers.

Visiting

The bridge carries Township Road 477, the same road as the Perry County Fairgrounds, about 2 miles from the center of Newport. It is open to cars. Uncovering PA notes room for a car or two to pull off and posted private property nearby.

Sources: Fleisher Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Fleisher Covered Bridge (coveredbridges.net), Perry County Covered Bridges (Uncovering PA)

Photo: Smallbones, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.