Landis Mill Covered Bridge Boundary Marker - East Hempfield/Manheim Townships, Lancaster, PA
N 40° 04.117 W 076° 20.700
18T E 385304 N 4436239
In the middle of the shortest covered bridge in the United States are two boundary markers on either side of the bridge designating the division of East Hempfield and Manheim Townships within Lancaster County, PA.
Waymark Code: WM9KEC
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/29/2010
Views: 10
The township line is designated by a yellow, wooden arrow pointing downward with the words Little Conestoga Shreiner Station above it. The word Conestoga refers to the creek. Another source lists the creek name as Little Cocalico Creek. I am not quite sure which one it is. The rest refers to the road which is carried over the bridge, Shreiner Station Road.
From my previous waymark:
The bridge was built by Elias McMellen in 1873 for $969. The kingpost truss was used rather than the Burr arch truss because of its short length of 53 ft., making this the shortest authentic covered bridge still in use. It is located on Shreiner Station Road one block west of Park City Mall in Manheim Township. The deck is made from oak planks, which were in good condition. 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. It is rather unsafe to walk inside as there is no pedestrian walkways. I had to keep looking over my shoulder while snapping pictures and walking through it.
This very short bridge can be found in unusual place, not in the country but at a strip mall, clearly an indication of out of control development. The bridge made the NRHP in 1980 and is in beautiful condition. One side has modern, steel guard rails while the other side uses the more conventional stone walls found in almost every 19th century covered bridge in Lancaster County. Thankfully, the bridge has remained despite the development of the surrounding countryside.
I made a video of the bridge to give a more comprehensive view which can he found HERE.