Kurtz Mill - 1876
The 1876 Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Mill Creek in the Lancaster County Park in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The bridge is also known as the County Park Covered Bridge, Baer's Mill Covered Bridge, Isaac Baer's Mill Bridge, Keystone Mill Covered Bridge, Binder Tongue Carrier Covered Bridge, and Mill 2A Covered Bridge. The bridge is accessible to road traffic from within the park.
The bridge was built in 1876 by W. W. Upp over the Conestoga River. In 1972, it was damaged by the floodwaters caused by Hurricane Agnes. It was repaired by David Esh in 1975 and moved to its present location in the Lancaster County Park over Mill Creek, a tributary of the Conestoga River.
Its length is 94 feet with an 11 feet 8 inches width and an overhead clearance of 11 feet 6 inches. Under clearance is 19 feet 6 inches.
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 red with white trim.
Wesley W. Upp originally built this covered bridge in 1876 near Christian Sensenig's Mill. It replaced an earlier bridge that was destroyed by winter rain and ice the previous year. Mennonite Pastor John S. Kurtz (1859 -1927) purchased the mill property in 1894 from where this covered bridge derived its name. Kurtz Mill was also known as the "Green Bank Mills" until he sold the property in 1923. In 1964 Kurtz's Mill was destroyed by fire.
Unlike most historic covered bridges in the county, it is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Located at: N40 00.910 W76 16.934 - WGCB #38-36-03
Photographed in September 2021