Pinetown Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Built in 1867 by Elias McMellen, the Pinetown Covered Bridge is a Burr truss structure spanning Conestoga Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on road T620 between Upper Leacock and Manheim Townships. Also called Bushong's Mill, it is 133 feet long with a 15-foot roadway width. Its walls are covered in rough vertical plank siding, and two rectangular windows are cut into the sides mid-span. The Agnes Flood of 1972 knocked the bridge off its abutments. It was returned to them, repaired and raised several feet higher than its original height for about $40,000, and it still retains its engineering integrity. The bridge was dedicated on August 26, 1913. Its importance lies in its place among the wooden covered bridges of Lancaster County, a group of 19th-century timber structures reviewed together for their construction and survival.
Significance in brief: The form identifies the bridge as one of the covered bridges of Lancaster County that were evaluated together as a thematic group of wooden bridges built in the 19th century. It is described as retaining its engineering integrity despite being raised after the 1972 Agnes Flood. The reviewers considered it a good candidate for listing in its present condition.
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 80003527, listed December 11, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Lancaster on T 620, Upper Leacock/Manheim Townships, Lancaster |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | December 11, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003527 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Elias McMellen (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Washed off its abutments in the 1972 Agnes Flood, then returned to the abutments, repaired and raised several feet at a cost of $40,000. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.10574, -76.24828 (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 80003527.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7195572
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.