details

Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

Home

Colemanville Mill Twin #1 or Martic Forge, Lancaster County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

If you would like to provide information on covered bridges that no longer exist from your state, or adopt a state to work on, we would certainly welcome your assistance. Please contact Trish Kane for more information.

Inventory Number: PA/38-36-26x
County: Lancaster County
Township: Conestoga - Martic
Town/Village: West of Martic Forge
Bridge Name: Colemanville Mill Twin #1 or Martic Forge
Crosses: Pequea Creek
Truss type: Burr
Spans: 1
Length: 153', 167
Roadway Width: 14'
Built: 1856
Builder: James C. Carpenter
When Lost: 18 Jul 1993
Cause: Razed
Latitude: N39 53.92
Longitude: W076 20.53
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.8 miles west of main intersection in Maric Forge on PA324, then 0.2 miles left on Fox Hollow Road (T408). 1/3 mile south of Colemanville.

Colemanville Mill Twin #1 or Martic Forge Bridge about 1924, Conestoga-Martic, PA Built 1856 Razed 18 Jul 1993
Thomas G. Kipphorn Collection

Colemanville Mill Twin #1 or Martic Forge Bridge, Conestoga-Martic, PA Built 1856 Razed 18 Jul 1993
Conestoga Area Historical Society Collection

Colemanville Mill Twin #1 or Martic Forge Bridge about 1924, Conestoga-Martic, PA Built 1856 Razed 18 Jul 1993
Thomas G. Kipphorn Collection

Colemanville Mill Twin #1 or Martic Forge Bridge about 1924, Conestoga-Martic, PA Built 1856 Razed 18 Jul 1993
Joseph Conwill Photo, 1973

Comments:
16-panel truss. Cost $2244. Rebuilt by Edmund Gardner in 1938 and Stephen Esh in 1973. It was washed away on June 26, 1938 and again on June 22, 1972. Both times it was returned to the original site, which is between Conestoga and Martic Township on Fox Hollow Road (T408). A new covered bridge was built on the downstream side of the old one at a slight angle, with the idea of removing the old bridge after the new one was opened. A legal battle involving land ownership on the Martic Township side developed, which delayed the opening of the new bridge for about two years and for part of this time the old bridge was still being used. During the week of July 18, 1993, the old bridge was demolished. Work was completed by July 27, 1993. Both abutments of the old bridge are still there.

Sources:
Travis, Dale. Pennsylvania Covered Bridges List, updated to 26 Aug 2004, http://www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cbpa.htm (23 Sep 2004)
Collins, Kenneth W.. Covered Bridges of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2002, pages 14-15, 70
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume LXXI, No. 2, Spring 2013, page 13
Moll, Fred J.. Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges - Our Heritage, 2004, pages 108-109
Kipphorn, Thomas. Information received by email, September 2005