THIS CACHE IS NOT AT THE POSTED COORDINATES. But you will have to go there to collect information needed to find the final geocache.
Welcome to Shearer's Mill Covered Bridge. The Shearer's Mill Covered Bridge, also commonly called the Shearer's Covered Bridge, is a covered bridge that spans the Big Chiques Creek in Manheim Veterans Memorial Park near Manheim Central High School. It is the furthest upstream of the five covered bridges that cross this waterway.
The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch truss design. It is the only covered bridge in Lancaster County painted entirely in red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside including both approaches. It is one of only 3 covered bridges in the county with horizontal side boards.
The bridge was originally built in 1847 for $600 by Jacob Clare and had to be rebuilt eight years later in 1855 following extensive flood damage. The bridge stayed in its original location until 1970 when it was scheduled to be replaced with a concrete bridge. At that time, local residents negotiated its transfer to Manheim Veterans Memorial Park at a cost of $12,000. The bridge was moved four miles to its current location in 1971 to ensure preservation.
The bridge is only open to pedestrians and cyclists. It has a length of 86 feet, a width of 15 feet, and an overhead clearance of 10 feet 6 inches. In 1980 it was added to National Register of Historic Places.
The Puzzle:
A=Walk inside the bridge and count the number of overhead lights hanging from the roof. A is this number.
D=Next to the bridge is a business. Walk over to the sign for the business and you will see artwork depicting the bridge. In this painting, on the right side of the bridge directly under the roof is a row of upper windows. How many upper windows are there? D is this number MINUS 3.
E=Looking at this same painting, take note of the number of stone abutments depicted. E is the number of stone abutments MINUS 3.
F=Find the black sign titled "Shearer's Covered Bridge" on the bridge. How much did the bridge originally cost to build? F is the number of zeroes in that cost.
Final Coordinates:
N 40 10.A18 W 076 23.DEF
Parking is available close to the bridge. Please no night caching as both the bridge and cache are located in the park.