Rating:
31283
{94}%
6 votes
Kidd's Mill Covered Bridge 38-43-01
Photos
Overview
Photo taken by Jack Schmidt
BH Photo #108675
Brief History
Written by Sherman Cahal
The Kidd's Mill Covered Bridge, developed by Robert W. Smith, was constructed in 1868. In 1869, Smith received a second patent for his bridge design and established the Smith Bridge Company in Toledo, Ohio.
Kidd’s Mill Covered Bridge was bypassed in 1963 and originally slated for demolition by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Instead, a resolution was passed to protect the bridge as a historic landmark.
The bridge continued to carry light traffic, with the only noted repairs being the roof and west abutment in 1965. An overloaded truck fractured several truss members in 1979 and it was closed to traffic.
A study in 1984 suggested that the covered bridge was in danger of collapse due to deferred maintenance. In response, the Shenango Conservancy was formed in 1986 and in 1989, the county leased the covered bridge to the Conservancy for 99 years. The historic bridge was rehabilitated in 1990 and a park was developed around the site by the Conservancy in 1991.
Kidd’s Mill Covered Bridge is the easternmost and oldest of the 20 remaining Smith trusses in the United States and is the only remaining Type 2 Smith truss remaining.
Facts
- Overview
- Covered bridge over Shenango River on Kidds Mill Road (TR 471)
- Location
- Mercer County, Pennsylvania
- Status
- Open to pedestrians only
- Builder
- - Smith Bridge Co. of Toledo, Ohio
- Design
- Covered Smith through truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 118.6 ft.
Total length: 124.0 ft.
Deck width: 16.7 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 14.2 ft.
- Recognition
-
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1974
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +41.35345, -80.39787 (decimal degrees)
41°21'12" N, 80°23'52" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
- Approximate UTM coordinates
- 17/550368/4578168 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Sharpsville
- Inventory numbers
- NRHP 74001793 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
WGCB 38-43-01 (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)
PA 43 7220 0471 1801 (Pennsylvania Bridge Management System number)
PANBI 26227 (Pennsylvania BRKEY bridge number on the 2011 NBI)
BH 31283 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
- Inspection report (as of August 2016)
- Overall condition: Poor
Superstructure condition rating: Serious (3 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 22 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com
Update Log
- April 16, 2018: New photos from Richard Doody
- March 21, 2017: Essay added by Sherman Cahal
- November 8, 2015: New photos from Bill Eichelberger
- March 5, 2014: Updated by Dave King: Added street view & imported photos
- May 16, 2010: New photos from Brian McKee
- March 5, 2007: Posted photos from Jack Schmidt
My pleasure!