Pinetown - 1867
The 1867 Pinetown Bushong's Mill Covered Bridge, also called Nolt's Point Mill Bridge, is a covered bridge that spans the Conestoga River in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Big Conestoga #6 Bridge. The bridge is also known as Pinetown Covered Bridge, Nolte's Point Mill Bridge, and Bushong's Mill Bridge. Lancaster County is home to 29 historical covered bridges.
The bridge has a single-span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County Covered Bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in red with white trim.
The bridge was built in 1867 by Elias McMellen at a cost of $4,500. In 1972 it was destroyed as a result of flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes. Due to a tremendous response from area residents who signed a petition for its reconstruction, it was among the first covered bridges to be restored after Agnes. In the spring of 1973, the bridge was rebuilt by the nearby Amish. To prevent damage due to future flooding, they raised the bridge to 17 feet 6 inches above the average water line. However, the bridge was closed after flood damage was sustained due to Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. The bridge was reopened in January 2014.
The bridge has a span length of 124 feet and 133 feet total length, with a width of 12 feet 10 inches clear deck and 15 feet total width. Overhead clearance is 11 feet 6 inches, and an under clearance of 15 feet as listed by the county government, or 17 feet 6 inches with respect to the average water level.
Of the 1,500 covered bridges that once stood in the state of Pennsylvania, as of 2019, approximately 200 remain.
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1980.
Located at: N40 06.338 W76 14.899 - WGCB #38-36-05 #2
Photographed in July 2019.