Butcher's Mill Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Along township road T955 where it crosses Cocalico Creek in East Cocalico Township, near Denver in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, stands a covered bridge built in 1881 by Ellas McMellen. It is a Burr truss structure, about 60 feet long with a roadway about 15 feet wide, and is sheathed in vertical plank siding with narrow window openings beneath the eaves. Its importance lies in its representation of 19th-century wood frame bridge construction in Lancaster County. It was considered as one of a group of covered bridges in the county, a multiple property grouping that gathers the region's surviving bridges of this type. The bridge has been bypassed by a newer highway and is in poor condition. Reviewers noted that its abutments and boundary would need further attention to fully document the site.
Significance in brief: The form describes it as a Burr truss covered bridge, one of the Covered Bridges of Lancaster County considered under a multiple property listing. The reviewer notes that the bridge is a good candidate for its type of wood frame construction in the 19th century. It has vertical plank siding and narrow window openings under the eaves.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80003514, listed December 11, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Denver on T 955, East Cocalico Township, Denver |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | December 11, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003514 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Ellas McMellen (builder) |
| Architectural style | Burr truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Bypassed by its highway and in poor condition, according to the form. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.20791, -76.13452 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80003514.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4982687
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.