Logan Mills Covered Bridge

By Doug - June 18, 2021

Named after a nearby gristmill with the same name, the Logan Mills Covered Bridge is the last historic covered bridge that remains standing in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. Located about halfway between the towns of Loganton and Rebersburg, the Queenpost through truss designed covered bridge spans 63 feet across Fishing Creek in the Sugar Valley. The covered bridge is unique for having a shallow Queenpost design, which means that the supporting arch on the side of the bridge only goes halfway up the side of the bridge, rather than the whole way to the top. As a result, the shallow design actually makes the bridge less stable than covered bridges that feature the normal Queenpost design. It is one of 38 Queenpost designed covered bridges that remain in Pennsylvania.

The Logan Mills Covered Bridge was built in 1874, but there is some evidence that the bridge may have been built as early as 1847. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1979. It was renovated in 2002 at a cost of $986,000 and dedicated in 2003. The covered bridge is a centerpiece of a community named Logan Mills, which also featured the nearby gristmill, a general store, post office and one room schoolhouse during the latter part of the 19th Century. Today, the covered bridge and the mill building remain, which are both worth visiting.

Approaching the Logan Mills Covered Bridge.

Stop! There's a bridge to cross.

Side profile of the covered bridge.

The Logan Mills gristmill was built in 1840 by Colonel Anthony Kleckner, who founded the community and named it after Chief Logan. When Colonel Kleckner died in 1860, it was purchased by the Ilgen family and was in operation until the mid-1950s. The gristmill was operated by a number of owners until the 1960s when it closed down. Water to run the mill's two turbine wheels was diverted from the nearby Fishing Creek.