Covered Bridges are artifacts, always stunning and provide an excellent opportunity for photography or simply a good excuse to see a more rural area of the state. They are a reminder of a simpler time when we all traveled by horse and carriage. While hundreds of covered bridges have disappeared from Pennsylvania over the years, this is one of only two left in Skulkill county.
There are many counties that have more covered bridges than Schuylkill County, but what makes the county unique is how easy it is to visit their two bridges. In fact, the bridges are both located in the small village of Rock only two miles from each other, and only a 10-minute drive off Interstate 81. Both bridges were built in the 1870s, and, like so many others in Pennsylvania, were designed in the Burr Truss style patented by Theodore Burr.
Located just off Rock Road (State Route 895) and behind a dirt bike track, this bridge settles over Little Swatara Creek. The bridge was built in 1875 and restored in the late 1996. The red-barn color of the bridge is typical of others in the area, but it’s still quite striking. At only 50-feet long, Zimmerman Covered Bridge isn’t as big as some around the state. However, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in accessibility and ambience.
The beautiful wooded photos you can get make the bridge seem like it’s in the middle of a secluded forest. While the Zimmerman Covered Bridge is accessible to traffic, you can park to the north along the dirt bike tracks to view this bridge. The dense foliage makes it hard to see anything but the front face of the bridge as you approach it. However, getting a better angle for photographs and viewing isn’t that difficult. As you face the bridge, with parking to your back, you’ll notice a small trail that goes into the brush just to the right of the bridge. This trail is somewhat marked by a small sign denoting this as a stocked fishing stream. Follow this trail for about 50 yards and you’ll come to a small clearing that will offer a nice vantage point back towards the bridge. From this point, the water is often shallow enough if you want to wade in the water for your photograph, or you can get a nice shot from the bank.
HISTORY: The Zimmerman Bridge is a single-span Burr arch truss bridge over Lower Little Swatara Creek on Covered Bridge road, it was Built in 1880; and renovated 1996. In 1996, new abutments were built. The bridge was lifted from its abutments and placed intact on the roadway while the new abutments were being built. It was not returned to its abutments until 1998. While it was off its abutments, the basic structure was also rebuilt, including replacement of the lower cords.
CACHE: Please leave stamp and pad in the cache as these are part of the letterbox and not for trade. Parking available on south easter side before bridge, and handicap parking available across bridge north western side. Solve the simple puzzle from the cache page.
In inches (Legnth)+(clearence)+(Year Built)= ABCD
N 40 32.661
W076 19.B3C
North West corner looks good,
Road level, down Wood on wood.