Here are a few views of my drive through Mercer and Crawford Counties on my way from Pymatuning Reservoir to Lake Erie.
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Celebrating the Lancaster County Buggy
A day out in the rural areas of Lancaster County will provide many encounters with horse drawn buggies, whether in motion or stationery. Sundays tend to be particularly busy, with people going to church or visiting neighbors.
A small child looks on … 
Traffic Gap with a miniature of the Clock Tower (full size below). 
People who drive buggies need to shop too. Stores in the area often have hitches, or even simple open sheds, for horse parking. -
Northern Lancaster County Covered Bridges
Today’s visit to Lancaster County includes some covered bridged and nearby views. First up is Weaver’s Mill Covered Bridge, which spans the Conestoga River. The 85-foot-long (26 m), 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) bridge was built in 1878 by B. C. Carter and J. F. Stauffer. It is also known as Isaac Shearer’s Mill Bridge. The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in the traditional white color. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Weaver’s Mill Covered Bridge 
The Bitzer’s Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that is also on the Conestoga River. It is the oldest bridge in the county still in use. A county-owned and maintained bridge, it is also called Martin’s Mill Bridge, Eberly’s Cider Mill Covered Bridge, and Fiand’s/Fiantz’s Covered Bridge.
The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. Added later, secondary steel I-beams support the bridge from underneath. The bridge is currently unpainted. It was formerly painted red on the outside, and the inside of the bridge was not painted. Both approaches to the bridge were painted white. In July 2006, the bridge sustained some damage to its sides including some missing or broken panels. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The bridge was built in 1846 by George Fink and Sam Reamsnyder at a cost of $1,115. They used a single span, wooden, double Burr arch truss construction. The bridge has historically been referred to by a number of names that reflected the various mill owners. In 1962, it was proposed to replace the bridge with a concrete span, but the plan was discontinued after much public outcry.
The Conestoga River 
An impressive corn crib. The Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Cocalico Creek. It is also sometimes known as Guy Bard Covered Bridge (after a local jurist) and Rettew’s Covered Bridge (after the person that Rettew’s Road is named). Due to heavy road traffic on the aging, one-lane bridge, construction on a new steel and concrete bridge to bypass the covered bridge occurred in the summer of 2006. The bridge was disassembled and reassembled a few miles downstream to replace an existing one lane bridge. It was located at 40°10′11.4″N 76°12′16.8″W (40.16983, −76.20467) before being disassembled.
Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge was originally built by Elias McMellen in 1873 at a cost of US$2,075. After being swept away in flooding, the bridge was rebuilt in 1891, again by McMellen. It stayed there until it was disassembled and moved in 2006. The bridge was reconstructed in 2009. The bridge was reopened on Middle Creek Road in December, 2010. Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. The bridge is the only all white bridge in the county, with no red. In fact, just about all covered bridges were whitewashed both inside and out. It is the only bridge to have survived the transition from whitewashing to the red color commonly used in barns throughout the county. The bridge is not painted on the inside.
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The Ephrata Cloister
The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, Lancaster County. The grounds of the community are now owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The Cloister’s website can be found at https://ephratacloister.org and provides the following information:
Conrad Beissel, Ephrata’s founder, came to the site in 1732 seeking to live as a hermit following his own religious ideas. He believed earthly life should be spent preparing to achieve a spiritual union with God at the Second Coming he felt would soon occur. By the early 1750s, nearly 80 celibate Brothers and Sisters were housed in impressive Germanic log, stone, and half-timbered buildings. At the same time, nearly 200 family members known as Householders, occupied nearby homes and farms.
Celibate members followed a life of work balanced with hours of private prayer. Wearing white robes, they adopted sparse diets, and slept little, all in an effort to provide discipline as they prepared for an anticipated heavenly existence. Labors included farming, papermaking, carpentry, milling, and textile production. The Cloister was known for the German calligraphic art of Frakturschriften, created in a distinctive style considered the first of this folk art produced in America, self-composed a cappella music written using Beissel’s rules for four-part harmony (with over one-thousand original compositions), and an ambitious printing establishment creating works for the use of the community and neighbors, including the translation and publication of the 1500 page Martyrs Mirror for the Mennonites, the largest book printed in colonial America.
The Society declined after the death of the charismatic Beissel in 1768. The last celibate member died in 1813 and the next year the remaining Householders incorporated into the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. Members continued to live and worship in the Cloister buildings until the close of the Church in 1934. Marie Kachel Bucher, the last surviving resident of the Ephrata Cloister, died on July 27, 2008, at the age of 98.
Here is a look at the exterior of the buildings. There was an event going on that Day called “Charter Day” which was wrapping up as I was arriving in late afternoon.
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Rambling Around Kimberton
An day drive around the lovely Kimberton area of Chester County. As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
An old ruin along a creek, near the Kennedy Covered Bridge 
The “Historical” Seven Star Inn 
A couple of hooved friends on a warm winter’s day …. 
They are everywhere this time of year. 
Really nice barn 
Struble Lake in northwestern Chester County – definitely not in Kimberton. -
Almost Home
Here is a look around the area near my aunt’s farm in Greenwood Township, Columbia County from the opening weekend of rifle deer season. Sadly, no one had any luck that weekend.
Some curious cattle on my grandparent’s old farm. 
Muddy Run runs through the farm. 
The neighbors have a nice looking eagle carving. 
My cousin’s house is quite windy, and the flag takes a beating. It has to be replaced often. 
The pond at this property is relatively new. 
One of the fanciest dairy farms in the County (no relation). -
Berks (and Schuylkill) Bridges and Some Curious Cows
A drive through Berks and Schuylkill Counties this past Autumn provided some scenic views. First up is the Zimmerman Covered Bridge in Schuylkill County. Originally built in 1880, it is 65 feet long.
Zimmerman Covered Bridge 
The familiar Burr Arch Truss construction. 
A neat old shed. 
Are you looking at us? 
These cows do not seem to care. The Dreibelbis Station Bridge is a 172 foot long Burr arch truss covered bridge spanning Maiden Creek south of Lenhartsville, Berks County. The bridge was built in 1869 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1981. Another Berks bridge with a hex sign – I love it.
A pretty farm property 
Kutz’s Mill Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge located at Greenwich Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It is a 93 foot long, Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1854. It crosses the Sacony Creek. As the name implies, it leads to the Kutz Mill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
Kutz’s Mill Covered Bridge 
Kutz’s Mill The Rock Covered Bridge is a single-span Burr arch truss 55 feet 7 inches over Little Swatara Creek in Schuylkill County.
Rock Covered Bridge 
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Sitting at a Bend in the River
The area around the French Azilum historic site is lovely. It is just one more reason to visit the area. I think these pictures speak for themselves, so I will leave this as a picture blog.
A barn adjacent to French Azilum. 
Also adjacent to the historic site, this must have been a cool place to live at one time. 
Old farm machinery near French Azilum. 
This lovely house sits next to … 
this fantastic barn. 
The goldenrod was out in force. 
The red barn theme contiues. 
I think someone forgot these hay bales. 
