Quintessential Pennsylvania

   Built in 1868 to replace a span destroyed by flooding along the Shenango River, the Kidd's Mills Covered Bridge is the last remaining historic covered bridge located in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Known in Mercer County's inventory as Bridge # 1801, the bridge is located on Township Road 471, about a half mile east of PA 18, near the community of Transfer in Pymatuning Township. The 124 foot long covered bridge was designed using a Smith through truss design and is the easternmost covered bridge that utilizes the Smith through truss design. The bridge was built by the Smith Bridge Company of  Tipp City, Ohio  (formerly known as Tippecanoe City). The Smith truss design for a covered bridge was kind of like the bridge version of a Craftsman home, as it was not constructed on site. Devised and patented in 1867 by Robert Smith, both the tension and compression members were all wood. During the period of 1867 to 1870, Smith built fifteen of these patented structures i...

  Also known as the Gottlieb Brown Covered Bridge, the Sam Wagner Covered Bridge spans over the Chillisquaque Creek on the county line between Montour and Northumberland Counties on Bridge Road near Potts Grove, Pennsylvania. The 95 foot long covered bridge was built in 1881 by George W. Keefer at a cost of $1,939. George Keefer was the builder of a number of covered bridges in this region of Pennsylvania (the Keefer Station Covered Bridge near Sunbury, Pennsylvania is another covered bridge he built), so the powers that be knew that they would get a quality finished product. Constructed with a single-span multiple Kingpost with a Burr arch truss design, the bridge serves one lane of vehicular traffic with a weight limit of 3 tons.  The Sam Wagner Covered Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and was rehabilitated in 1985. As Northumberland and Montour Counties jointly own the covered bridge, they pledged $17,500 each for bridge repairs whe...

  POTTS GROVE - Founded 1821. Named for Hans Potts, early pioneer settler. How to Get There: Sources and Links: Valley Girl Views - Pottsgrove, Northumberland County

  One of several octagonal shaped one room schoolhouses that were built in Pennsylvania, the Sodom Octagonal Schoolhouse on PA 45 east of Montandon, Pennsylvania may be one of the best preserved examples of such. While the schoolhouse is of a rather simple design that is said to be based on a design from a church in Scotland and features limestone quarried from nearby sources, there are some legends revolving the construction of the school and how the school got its name. The schoolhouse has a single chimney in the center of the roof, seven windows, and a single door on the south side facing the road. At one time, the front of the schoolhouse also had a belltower and a cupola. A vestibule was once attached where students hung their coats and a wood-burning stove stood in the center. On the north wall of the school was a blackboard with a 30 foot long, 10 foot wide, 10 inch high platform for the teacher. Six long rough desks were placed parallel to the walls and two more were p...

  The site where the Bondsville Mill Park on Bondsville Road in Chester County's East Brandywine Township is located has long been the site of mills. There have been grist mills on the site of what is now Bondsville Mill Park since the 18th Century, but the remains of a woolen mill where Bondsville Mill Park is located was established in 1841. Abraham Bond, believed to be the third owner of the mill, opened the Bond Woolen Factory established the factory village of Bondsville, not far from Downingtown, Pennsylvania. The Bond Woolen Factory produced blue jeans through its tenure during the 1840s. Unfortunately, a fire severely damaged the mill in 1844, but it was not the end of the mill. Rather, it was a catalyst for a number of changes and improvements for the future of the mill. In 1848, William McFarland purchased the mill, and during the Civil War, the mill produced uniforms for the Union Army. In 1864, James Roberts acquired the mill and by 1870, the mill was powered by wa...

  The Colemanville Covered Bridge is the second longest covered bridges in Lancaster County and also one of the longer covered bridges in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, spanning 156 across the Pequea Creek on the border between Conestoga and Martic Townships. Given the alternate name of Pequea # 12 in Lancaster County's list of covered bridges, the Colemanville Covered Bridge was first built in 1856 by James C. Carpenter at the cost of $2,224. It is Lancaster County's second longest single span covered bridge that is still in use. The bridge has a single span with double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The bridge deck is made from oak planks. Like most bridges in Lancaster County, the Colemanville Covered Bridge is painted red, which is the traditional color used for covered bridges in the county. The bridge was partially rebuilt in 1938 and 1973 after flooding events caused damage to the covered bridge. Then in 1992, the Colemanville ...