{"nrhp_refnum":"80003518","name":"Keller's Covered Bridge","other_names":["Guy Bard Covered Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"SW of Ephrata on T 656, Ephrata Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ephrata","county":"Lancaster County","state":"PA","lat":40.16998916700004,"lon":-76.20482585999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span wooden Burr arch-truss covered bridge over Cocalico Creek, built in 1891 on Rettew Mill Road in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and being relocated to a site on Middle Creek Road. The bridge was originally constructed by county contractor Elias McMellen, with the original span dating to 1872 and rebuilt in 1891 after flood damage.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is significant as a local example of the Burr arch-truss design, one of the most common covered wooden truss types in Pennsylvania and Lancaster County, and for its association with 19th-century bridge building in Lancaster County under contractor Elias McMellen. Its relocation was agreed as mitigation for an adverse effect from a replacement bridge project, and the nomination treats the move as keeping its eligibility.","narrative":"A single-span wooden Burr arch-truss bridge crossing Cocalico Creek in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Lancaster County hired local contractor Elias McMellen to build it in 1872 for $2,075, and it was rebuilt by McMellen in 1891 for $1,250 after spring floods destroyed it. The bridge combines two long arches with a multiple king post truss, a design that was among the most popular vernacular bridge types in the eastern United States. Repairs in 1913 through 1918 used outside contractors, and vertical steel ties were added in 1935. Because the Rettew Mill Road site was to be replaced by a new bridge, the county agreed to move the covered bridge to Middle Creek Road, where it will cross Cocalico Creek on new stone abutments. The nomination treats its retained design and its link to Lancaster County's covered bridge building as the basis for its listing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Elias McMellen (contractor)","architectural_style":"Burr arch-truss","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Being dismantled and relocated from Rettew Mill Road to Middle Creek Road; rehabilitation at the new site is planned.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.080166-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003518.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003518/ea3e0b5cae-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003518/ea3e0b5cae-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.5","author":"Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kellers_Mill_Covered_Bridge_Side_View_3000px.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kellers_Mill_Covered_Bridge_Side_View_3000px.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993221","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keller%27s_Mill_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6385663"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/kellers-covered-bridge-80003518/"}