Keller's Mill Bridge
The Covered Bridges of Lancaster County, PA
A New Home for the White Bridge
White is an unusual color for covered bridges in Lancaster County. In fact, this bridge is the only one of the county's covered bridges that is not painted red.
This same bridge once spanned the Cocalico Creek at Rettew Mill Road, but due to increasing traffic, it was dismantled in 2006 and reassembled here at Middle Creek Road in 2010. A new concrete span was built at Rettew Mill Road, and an iron bridge at Middle Creek Road was removed.
Keller's Mill Bridge is named for the family who built a house and mill near the bridge's original location.
Although the mill is now gone, the Keller house still stands on Rettew Mill Road. The first covered bridge at that site was built in 1873, but was destroyed by flood. In 1891, the existing bridge was constructed by Elias McMellen, who also built the earlier bridge.
Other names associated with this bridge include the Rettew family, who owned the Keller house and mill in the early 20th century, and Guy Bard, a prominent attorney who owned these properties in the 1940s and 1950s.
Bridge Specifications
Other Names — Rettew Mill, Guy Bard, Akron Roller, Cocalico #5
Crosses — Cocalico Creek
Length — 74 ft. (23 m), clear span 60 ft., 6 in. (18.44 m)
Width — Total 17 ft., 4 in.
this page online
Builder — Elias McMellen
Structure — Burr arch truss
History — Built 1873, rebuilt 1891; added to National Register of Historic Places, December 10, 1980; dismantled 2006, reopened 2010
[Main background photo caption reads]
Keller's Mill Bridge, ca. 1915.
[Inset illustration captions, clockwise from top center, read]
Bridge Location Present and Past [map]
Keller's Mill Bridge at its previous location on Rettew Mill Road.
Stabilizing the frame in preparation to move the bridge from its original abutments.
Lancaster County's Covered Bridges [map]
For more information: www.lancastercountyheritage.com/bridges
Erected by Lancaster County Heritage.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Man-Made Features. In addition, it is included in the Covered Bridges series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 2006.
Location. 40° 9.834′ N, 76° 13.905′ W. Marker is near Lititz, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County. It is in Ephrata Township. It is on Middle Creek Road half a mile north of Rothsville Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 103 Middle Creek Rd, Lititz PA 17543, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and in the Susquehanna Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers.
Also see . . .
1. Keller's Mill Covered Bridge at Wikipedia. (Submitted on November 13, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Covered Bridges of Lancaster County, PA. (Submitted on November 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 13, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,010 times since then and 88 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
