Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge

The Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge or Sporting Hill Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Chiques Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. A county-owned and maintained bridge, its official designation is the Big Chiques #1 Bridge.^[2] (Chiques Creek was known as Chickies Creek until 2002^[3])

Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge
Coordinates	40.1482°N 76.4098°W / 40.1482; -76.4098
Locale	Manheim, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Official name	Big Chiques #1 Bridge
Characteristics
Design	single span, double Burr arch truss
Total length	96 feet (29.3 m)
History
Constructed by	James C. Carpenter
Construction start	1857
Rebuilt	1874
Kaufman's Distillery Covered Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	0.1 acre
MPS	Covered Bridges of Lancaster County TR
NRHP reference No.	80003529[1]
Added to NRHP	December 11, 1980
Location

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.^[2] 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's WGCB Number is 38-36-32. In 1980 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003529.^[4] It is located at 40°8′53.4″N 76°24′35.4″W (40.14817, -76.40983). The bridge is located southwest of Manheim between Rapho and Penn Townships 0.15 miles (0.24 km) southeast of Pennsylvania Route 772 and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of Pennsylvania Route 72 on Sun Hill Road.^[5][6]

History

Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge was originally built in 1857 at a cost of $1,185 by James C. Carpenter. The bridge was named after the Kauffman's Distillery Mill which operated in the late 1800s. In 1874 the bridge was rebuilt by Elias McMellen at a cost of $1,620.^[5]

Dimensions

^[2]

• Length: 84 feet (26 m) span and 96 feet (29 m) total length^[7]
• Width: 13 feet 1 inch (3.99 m) clear deck and 15 feet (4.6 m) total width^[7]
• Overhead clearance: 11 feet 6 inches (3.51 m)^[8]
• Underclearance: 7 feet (2.1 m)

Gallery

• 
  A three quarters view of the bridge
• 
  Side view of the bridge showing the creek
• 
  One of the approaches to the bridge
• 
  The inside of the bridge showing the Burr arch trusses
• 
  The inside center of the bridge showing the bridge's name and the crest of the Burr arch.
• 
  Approach view from the air
• 
  Side view from the air

See also

• Burr arch truss
• List of Lancaster County covered bridges

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge". Lancaster County, PA Government Portal. County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 2001-10-20. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
3. Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey (August 30, 1990). "Geographic Names Information System Feature Detail Report: Chiques Creek". Retrieved 2006-09-05.
4. "PENNSYLVANIA - Lancaster County". National Register of Historic Places. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
5. "Kauffman's Distillery Covered Bridge". Lancaster County Pennsylvania Dutch Country Official Visitors Center. Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau. 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
6. Travis, Dale. "38-36-32". Round Barns & Covered Bridges. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
7. McCain, Dr. Roger A. "Sporting Hill Bridge". A Guide to Old Covered Bridges of Southeastern Pennsylvania and nearby areas. Archived from the original on 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
8. Bickel, Hank (2005-06-23). "Kauffman Bridge". Covered Bridges of the Northeast USA. Retrieved 2006-08-04.