Shenk's Mill Covered Bridge in Lancaster County

Shenk's Mill Covered Bridge is located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and was built in 1855 by Charles Malhorn and Levi Fink. It's owned and maintained by Lancaster County. You'll find it located on Erisman Road, not far from Spooky Nook Indoor Sport's Complex if you're familiar with the area. Officially it's in East Hempfield and Rapho Townships.

When approaching the bridge you'll find a small pull-off area where you can park your car and walk up to the bridge. At the one approach you'll find the official marker that will give you history on the bridge and it's builders. The bridge spans across Chiques Creek and is officially called the Big Chiques #4 bridge. In 1980 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The bridge is 96 feet long, 15 feet wide with a clearance of 10 feet 6 inches in height. It's a single span bridge done in the Double Burr Arch Trusses design. Like the majority of the covered bridges found in Lancaster County it's painted in the traditional barn red color with white approaches. It's one of only three bridges in the entire county with horizontal side boards. I personally like the built-in widows that allow you to see the Chiques creek flowing underneath it.

Inside the bridge you'll find the official metal marker plaque that gives you the county information for it. You'll find it tacked up on a post by the window at the one end. When entering the inside you do need to be careful of the approaching traffic. There's really no room for pedestrians to be on the bridge while a vehicle is trying to pass by. If you're traveling with someone...have them be the lookout while you enter and vice-versa.

The Shenk's Mill Covered Bridge was our third stop on the covered bridges tour through Lancaster County. Our first stop was the Forry's Mill Bridge and our second stop was the Seigrist's Mill Bridge. The later two bridges only sit one mile apart. You can learn more about those two bridges in our Covered Bridges section right here on the blog.

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