Bucher's Mill Covered Bridge - Stevens, PA
N 40° 12.485 W 076° 08.079
18T E 403440 N 4451469
This postcard is part of a larger series produced in 1970 for the Lancaster County covered bridges. Since this photo was taken, trees were planted & grown, telephone poles have been installed and progress has run amok but the bridge is unchanged.
Waymark Code: WMHZV4
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/02/2013
Views: 4
This Buchers Mill Covered Bridge old standard-sized, vintage postcard depicts the Bucher's Mill Bridge crossing the Cocalico Creek in Lancaster County, north of Reamstown, Pennsylvania. The postcard is Copyrighted 1970 Melvin Horst. Ebay has been a decent source for postcards. I found this postcard on several sites including HERE and HERE. I used my trusty and oft abused Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for my matching photo. I stood at the southwestern side of the bridge, facing the portal on an eastern angle about 40 feet away when I took my photo. I visited this site in the early morning hours of October of 2010.
This bridge is in the Amish farmlands, very rural and very scenic. The place looks like a painting. The bridge crosses the Cocalico Creek, providing an alternate name for the bridge as well (its official designation is the Cocalico #2 Bridge) and at 68 ft. is the second shortest bridge in the county. This bridge is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
My good friends at Wikipedia tell me 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 the traditional white color.
The bridge was built by Elias McMellen in 1881 for $1167. It was extensively damaged by a flood one year later and rebuilt by McMellen again, this time for $1025. It is located 1/8 mile east of Highway 272 and Creek Road. Apparently, it was reconstructed in 1997. The wooden bridge is in great shape.