In July 1885, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners signed a contract with James C. and Henry Carpenter to build a covered bridge at this location, described as being at or near Moore's mill, between the townships of Rapho and West Hempfield, with completion and inspection due by October 15, 1885. The Carpenters agreed to build the bridge for $1,872, including $500 for masonry and $700 for the superstructure. Long before the bridge was built, a mill stood on the West Hempfield side of the creek. In 1811, Christian and Barbara Hertzler built a brick mill later owned by Michael Moore. The building had prominent federal-period details, including pedimented doorways and windows with keystones, inspiring the nickname Keystone Mill. Parts of the mill survived until the 1980s. A notable feature of the bridge is a series of biblical passages painted on boards attached to the structural frame below the bridge deck, and these boards were reinstalled during the bridge's reconstruction after a 2011 storm.
