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Shenk's Mill - 1847
The 1847 Schenk's Mill Covered Bridge or Shenk's Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans the Big Chiques Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Big Chiques #4 Bridge. (Chiques Creek was known as Chickies Creek until 2002). The bridge was built in 1847 by Charles Malhorn and Levi Fink. The bridge was rebuilt in 1855.
The bridge has an 80 feet single-span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. Its total length is 96 feet and 13 feet 10 inches wide. 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 the traditional white color. With a 10 feet 6-inch clearance, it is one of only 3 covered bridges in the county with horizontal sideboards.
On December 31, 2017, a truck driver from Arizona damaged the bridge while attempting to cross it, claiming to be lost on the way to Baltimore and following his GPS.
Length of largest span: 80.1 ft.
Total length: 87.9 ft.
Deck width: 13.8 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 12 ft.
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1980.
Located at: N40 06.938 W76 25.508 - WGCB #38-36-30
Photographed in 2016.