About
Lehman's Covered Bridge, also called the Port Royal Covered Bridge, crosses East Licking Creek southwest of Port Royal in Turbett Township, Juniata County, just off Routes 333 and 75. It is a double Burr arch truss bridge built in 1888 and 107 ft long (the visitors bureau gives 108 ft). It is privately owned and closed to vehicles.
History
The National Register gives 1888 as the construction date, while a sign on the bridge and the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau give 1858. Flooding from Hurricane Agnes in 1972 wiped out the bridge, and the Lehman family rebuilt it using salvaged original timbers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 1979, as part of the Covered Bridges of Juniata and Snyder Counties group.
Design
The Burr arch truss pairs long timber arches with a multiple kingpost truss, and this bridge uses a doubled arch. It has vertical siding, windows at eave level and a gable roof. The wood has never been painted. The visitors bureau lists a clearance of 12 ft.
Visiting
The bridge is on Mayer Road outside Port Royal. A sign prohibits driving across it. Uncovering PA notes a small dirt lot next to the bridge with room for a few cars and no parking on the far side.
Sources: Lehman's, Port Royal Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Visiting the Covered Bridges of Juniata County (Uncovering PA), Covered Bridge Tour (Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau)
Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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