About
Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge, also called Eichelberger's Covered Bridge, carries Mount Pleasant Road over the West Branch Octoraro Creek in Bart Township, about 1.5 miles south of PA Route 372 and 3.25 miles east of Quarryville. It is a single span 139 ft long, built in 1878, and officially named West Octoraro #1 Bridge. The county's 2021 guide gives 143 ft. It is open to one lane of traffic.
History
John Smith and Samuel Stauffer built the bridge in 1878 for $2,410. A flood (dated 1984 in the county guide) washed it, mostly intact, off its foundations and set it down a short distance downstream. The county commissioners rebuilt and rededicated it in 1985 for $75,000, raising it 3 ft to guard against future floods. A rehabilitation was completed in May 2005. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1980, and removed on June 27, 1986. Lancaster County owns and maintains it.
Design
The bridge uses double Burr arch trusses with added steel hanger rods and an oak plank deck. It is said to be the only covered bridge in the county not built perpendicular to its stream, because a sawmill on one bank and rock formations on the other dictated its placement. It is red inside and out, with white approaches.
Visiting
The bridge is on Mount Pleasant Road in a remote part of the county. Vehicles can cross one at a time.
Sources: Wikipedia: Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge, Lancaster County Covered Bridges guide (2021), Lancaster County: Covered Bridges
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