Covered bridge being restored at Messiah College
An 1867 covered bridge that spans the Yellow Breeches Creek on Messiah College's campus looks like a skeleton this summer.That's because the bridge is getting a facelift, which includes replacing the roof and the siding.
The 144-year-old bridge is structurally sound but was showing signs of age, college spokeswoman Beth Lorow said.
Messiah College, which is located in Cumberland and York counties, is spending roughly $170,000 to have the bridge restored. The structure is the last covered bridge in York County to still carry traffic, according to York County historian Jim McClure, who is also editor of the York Daily Record/Sunday News.
Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction Inc., based in Thurmont, Md., started working on the bridge in May. The firm is using both modern equipment and vintage machinery to maintain the historical integrity of the bridge, according to the company.
Worker are using western red cedar to repair the roof, said Dean Fitzgerald, president and CEO of the company. Each piece is 24-inches long, but only a third of it will be exposed, making for a thick roof.
Crews also are using solvent-free paint made in Sweden for the siding. It contains linseed oil and iron dioxide (for the red color) that will soak into the wood siding.
The repairs are expected to last 40 to 50 years, Fitzgerald said.
"It'll last a long time," he said.
The company has worked on more than a handful of covered bridges in the past, Fitzgerald said.
The bridge at Messiah College is an iconic landmark, Lorow said.
The structure has been used as a setting for wedding and graduation pictures, and it has appeared on photographers' blogs.
"It's just a beautiful bridge," Lorow said.
ON THE WEB To learn more about Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction, Inc., visit www.heavytimber.net .
ABOUT THE BRIDGE The covered bridge was built in 1867, and it was moved from Bowmansdale to the college in 1972.
The Yellow Breeches Creek is the boundary between York and Cumberland counties. Messiah College's athletic fields are on the York County side.
On the blogs
· Picturesque steel bridges going way of covered predecessors
Fitzgerald's Heavy Timber Construction has built enclosed rigging along side the bridge at Messiah College to help workers replace siding and keep debris out of the Yellow Breeches Creek. The firm is using both modern equipment and vintage machinery to maintain the historical integrity of the bridge.
Pa Covered Bridges - News
(YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL) York, PA - An 1867 covered bridge that spans the Yellow Breeches Creek on Messiah College's campus looks like a skeleton this summer. That's because the bridge is getting a facelift, which includes
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