About
Greisemer's Mill Covered Bridge, also spelled Griesemer's, crosses Manatawny Creek in Oley Township, Berks County, northwest of Boyertown. It is a single-span timber Burr arch truss on stone masonry abutments, carrying Spangsville Road. Berks County lists it as County Bridge 58A, with a 13.7-foot roadway and a 3-ton weight limit.
History
Berks County and the Berks County Covered Bridges National Register nomination date the bridge to 1868. Wikipedia and the World Guide to Covered Bridges give 1832. No builder is recorded. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1981. Lengths in sources range from 124 feet (Wikipedia) to a 140-foot span (Berks County).
On the night of May 29, 2023, a car crashed at the bridge. Spangsville Road was closed at the bridge, and the county commissioners approved an emergency declaration so repairs could be contracted. In 2026 Berks County sought an engineering consultant for environmental studies, design and construction support for a full rehabilitation of the bridge.
Design
It is a Burr arch truss: a long timber arch on each side combined with a multiple kingpost truss, with the arch ends bearing on the abutments. It has a gable roof and is one of five covered bridges remaining in Berks County.
Visiting
The bridge carries Spangsville Road over Manatawny Creek. It was closed after the 2023 crash, and a county rehabilitation project is in design, so check current road conditions before visiting.
Sources: Greisemer's Mill Bridge (Wikipedia), Greisemer's Mill Covered Bridge Rehabilitation, SOI 26-08 (County of Berks), Berks commissioners assess repairs for damaged covered bridge (WFMZ)
Photo: Cervin Robinson, Photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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