Covered Bridges of Lancaster County

Lancaster County has some of the most picturesque and unique covered bridges in the country. Did you know that the first covered bridge in America was built in Pennsylvania Dutch Country? Although covered bridges are most associated with New England and Madison County, the Lancaster area has the largest number of covered bridges of any geographic area of its size in the world.

The early Pennsylvania bridge builders were not Pennsylvanians. Theodore Burr, of Connecticut, had the most influence on PA bridges. He developed and patented the design in 1817, which became the most widely used, the Burr Truss construction. This type of construction is also referred to as the Kingpost Arch. Almost all of the remaining bridges in Lehigh, Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Schuylkill, York, and Lancaster counties are of the Burr type.

The covered bridge has been called the "Kissing" bridge. Many people believe that two lovers should kiss while going through the bridge. We encourage our guests to follow this old dictum!
There is also the strongly held belief that the bridges are "wishing" bridges and that a wish made while traveling through one of the structures will come true.

Many people ask why the bridges were covered and several explanations have been put forth. Some believe that the bridges were covered to keep heavy snow from blocking passage. Others believe the covering made the bridge look like a barn thereby decreasing the fear of animals from crossing over the water. Yet others claim that the truss and roof added strength to the bridge, which would enable it to bear heavy loads. Finally, some believe that these structures made the bridge look impressive so the user would not feel the toll charge excessive.

The old covered bridges of Lancaster are declining in number. Once Lancaster County to boast of having over a hundred bridges, yet now it has fewer than 40. All too often they have been lost to fire, wind and ice storms. One of the bridges that crossed the Susquehanna was burned during the Civil War to prevent the Confederate troops from crossing the river.

So come to Lancaster County, take a tour of the bridges, have a picnic in the country and be sure to give your honey a kiss. It will be a memorable time for you!