Lawrence County Covered Bridges

Unlike many Pennsylvania counties, Lawrence County never possessed many covered bridges; perhaps only five such bridges were ever built in the county. Today, only the Banks Covered Bridge and the McConnell's Covered Bridge near Rose Point remain.While the Howe truss used by the McConnell's Mill bridge is very rare, the Burr arch truss used by the Banks bridge is employed by many Pennsylvania bridges. Its interior walls are similar to those featured on many covered bridges in Bucks County.

In 1980, the Banks and McConnell bridges was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of their historical significance.

The Banks Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in Wilmington Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania It spans the Neshannock Creek southeast of New Wilmington. Constructed in 1889, the bridge is a Burr Arch truss built on stone foundations and supported by steel girders; it is 121 feet long and 15 feet wide. The builder of this structure is unknown, it is owned and maintained by the county. The bridge is in good condition and opened to vehicular traffic

The McConnell's Mill Bridge is located on Route 415, McConnell's Road, in McConnell's Mill State Park in Slippery Rock Township.

The bridge was built in 1874 by an unknown builder, it utilized the Howe truss design. The structure crosses Slippery Rock Creek. The length of the bridge is 96 feet and the width is 15 feet. This bridge is owned and maintained by the county, it is open to vehicular traffic and is in good condition.

This bridge is in a beautiful scenic setting in McConnell's Mill State Park, it is downstream from the McConnell's Mill that had been restored. The structure is covered with vertical board and batten siding on both the sides and portals, the roof is constructed of asphalt roofing paper and the deck is crosswise boards, it rest on cut stone abutments which appear to been laid dry. The only side openings are the typical lengthwise narrow ones directly under the eaves. This is one of the only five Howe truss covered bridges remaining in Pennsylvania and one of the only two in the western part of the state. The other Howe truss structures are located in Indiana, Huntingdon, Perry, and Philadelphia counties.