Kissing Bridges: Lancaster's Covered Spans

Lancaster County is covered bridge country. It holds more covered bridges than any other county in Pennsylvania, and ranks second in the entire nation, with nearly thirty of these wooden spans still standing. Many date to the middle eighteen hundreds.

At their peak, in the late eighteen hundreds, well over one hundred crossed the county's creeks and rivers. By the mid nineteen hundreds that number had fallen to about fifty. The covering was never just for looks.

A roof and walls shielded the wooden trusses and deck from rain and snow, and a protected bridge could last far longer than an exposed one, often more than a century. Most Lancaster bridges share a distinctive look, painted barn red on the outside with white portals at each end. The most common design here is the Burr arch truss, which combines a heavy timber arch with a truss for extra strength.

Theodore Burr invented it in eighteen oh four and patented it in eighteen seventeen. Over the years, when these bridges have needed rebuilding, the county has often used construction methods close to the originals, so the spans keep their historic character. Tucked along quiet farm roads near Intercourse, they remain favorites for photographers, painters, and courting couples, which is why so many are nicknamed kissing bridges.