PA Covered Bridge Journey: Bedford County

The first stop on our west to east journey across the state by way of covered bridges took us to Somerset County. Now we continue on to Bedford County. Bedford is home to fourteen covered bridges. 

Our first stop in Bedford County is at Diehl's/Turner's Covered Bridge, just north of Manns Choice, PA on township 418, roughly half a mile north of State Route 31. I always love when the sides are wide open like this. It is of Burr Truss construction. The builder of this 89 foot span is unknown.

Diehl's Covered Bridge Coordinates: 40.0093° N, 78.6482° W

Diehl's/Turner's Covered Bridge - Built in 1892 and located in Manns Choice, PA

Diehl's/Turner's Covered Bridge crosses the Raystown Branch of the beautiful blue Juanita River

The open-air construction of this bridge is beautiful.

The walk back in time to this covered bridge, seems was literally "passed in time" with the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike way back in the day. This is a bridge to nowhere, for the route it carries is a dead end, having been cut apart when the turnpike was built. I am glad that they opted to preserve this gem though.

Our next stop is at the beautiful Colvin Bridge. This bridge was recently refurbished and it looks great. It crosses the Shawnee Creek dates back to 1880 and is 66 feet long. Once again, I love the open-air construction on these covered bridges. Colvin Bridge was built with the Kingpost design. The bridge is located on Township Route 443, just south of Route 30 in Schellsburg, PA.

Colvin Bridge Coordinates: 40.038136, -78.654182

Colvin Bridge - Built in 1880 and located in Schellsburg, PA

We had a short reprieve and then the rains started to pick up again as we approached the longest of the covered bridges in Bedford, the Herline Covered Bridge. This 136 foot span is gorgeous and it crosses the Raystown Branch of the beautiful blue Juniata River. This Burr Truss designed span dates back to 1902. It is actually within view of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Herline Covered Bridge Coordinates: 40.0164697, -78.5930743 

Herline Covered Bridge - Built in 1902 and located one mile north of Manns Choice

This bridge is huge!

Downpour time!

 Bedford County has a number of cool attractions. Two of these attractions are:

The Old Log House

The Bedford County Historical Society

and Old Bedford Village

These attractions do a nice job of demonstrating the heritage of the county. Old Bedford Village is a Living History Museum that has aspects relating to European Settlers, and early Native American history, with archaeological finds from the site dating back to the late Archaic Period. At the entrance to the Old Bedford Village, the 126 foot long Claycomb Covered Bridge dates back to 1880. It was moved from Reynoldsville, PA in 1975 and rebuilt at the entrance to Old Bedford Village on Business 220, 1.5 miles north of Bedford.

Claycomb Covered Bridge Coordinates: 40.0420° N, 78.5107° W

Claycomb Covered Bridge - Built in 1870 and moved from Reynoldsville, PA in 1975

 Now we head west to Breezewood, PA. The fog hanging in the valley was beautiful.

The next stop is at Feltons Mill and Covered Bridge in Breezewood. Sadly both of these historic structures, dating back to 1892, are not in decent shape. The bridge crosses Brush Creek, utilizes the Burr Truss design, and measures in at 105 feet. It is a shame to see this piece of history sit in such sad shape.

Feltons Mill Covered Bridge Coordinates: 39.9728° N, 78.2884° W

Feltons Mill and Covered Bridge - Built in 1892 and located in Breezewood, PA

Just one mile upstream on Brush Creek in Breezewood is this beautifully preserved gem. This 95 foot long Burr Truss bridge, similar to its homely neighbor downstream, still has its accompanying mill. I am glad to see that the community has taken the initiative to preserve this bridge that dates back to 1875. It is located 3.5 miles south of Breezewood on Township Route 412.

Jackson's Mill Covered Bridge Coordinates: 40.3414° N, 80.4897° W

Jackson's Mill Covered Bridge - 1875, Located in Breezewood, PA, Bedford County

While in Breezewood, be sure to check out the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike, spanning Bedford and Fulton Counties and encompassing two abandoned tunnels!

On the next step of our journey we will pick up on the Lincoln Highway and head out to Gettysburg, York, and Lancaster!