The Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce this year’s Covered Bridge Photo Contest winner. The winning image will be featured as the 2022 Covered Bridge Puzzle. This year’s puzzle will be released in the fall as the twelfth installment in the Visitors Bureau’s limited edition series, and will feature the Parr’s Mill Covered Bridge for the first time. Ben Prepelka ’s snapshot of the Parr’s Mill Bridge in Columbia County was selected as this year’s overall winner. Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Ben quickly discovered that his parents were passionate about travel, photography, painting and wildlife. As the youngest member of his family, Ben grew up exploring much of the state at a very early age. His photography focuses on that part of his youth, echoing the passion his parents had for the great outdoors. Now a Florida resident, Ben tries to make it back to Pennsylvania as often as he can. Several other photographers were recognized in this year’s contest with an honorable mention designation: Mark Koskulitz (photo featuring Jud Christian
Ben Prepelka’s winning image of the Parr’s Mill Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge), Anthony Berard Jr. (Johnson Covered Bridge), Tony Bendele (Esther Furnace Covered Bridge), Cathy Kuczynski (Hollingshead Covered Bridge), and Bonnie Tharp (Richards Covered Bridge). The Visitors Bureau would like to thank everyone who submitted photos to the contest.
Spanning the north branch of Roaring Creek, the Parr’s Mill Covered Bridge connects Franklin and Cleveland Townships in Columbia County. This Burr Truss arch span was built in 1865 by F.L. Shuman at a cost of $1,275. It is located four miles south of Catawissa on Parr’s Mill Road, off Ashton Hollow Road, east of Pennsylvania Route 487. Named after Washington Parr, who purchased the nearby Willow Grove Grist Mill in 1875, the bridge and mill became known as Parr’s Mill Bridge and Parr’s Mill, respectively. The Visitors Bureau is now taking pre-orders for the 2022 Parr’s Mill Covered Bridge puzzles – cost is $15, tax included. Puzzles are 550 pieces and supplies are limited. Individuals interested in pre-ordering a puzzle may use the linked button below to fill out a pre-order form with a name, contact info, and number of puzzles requested. No payment will be taken at the time of pre- order. When the finished puzzles arrive (likely in September), those on the pre-order list will be contacted directly to arrange pickup or shipping plans. Afterward, any puzzles not reserved for pre-orders will be made available to the general public to purchase at the Visitors Bureau Welcome Center.
Click to Pre-Order Your Puzzle!
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