{"nrhp_refnum":"00000095","name":"Newfield Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Covered Bridge St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newfield","county":"Tompkins County","state":"NY","lat":42.36305209900007,"lon":-76.59040515299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-02-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":[],"significance_levels":[],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span covered timber bridge carrying Covered Bridge Street over a ravine cut by the West Branch of Cayuga Creek in the hamlet of Newfield, Tompkins County, New York. It was built in 1853 by carpenter Samuel Hamm and his sons.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare, substantially intact example of rural vernacular bridge design and construction in Tompkins County. It uses the patented Town lattice truss and is one of only 10 surviving examples of that type in New York State. It also reflects local transportation history as part of a plank road to Ithaca.","narrative":"Newfield Covered Bridge is a 115-foot timber span that carries Covered Bridge Street across a deep ravine cut by the West Branch of Cayuga Creek in Newfield, Tompkins County. Contracted by a plank road company in 1851 and opened in 1853, it was built with local materials and skills. Starr and Russell laid the fieldstone abutments, and carpenter Samuel Hamm and his sons completed the trusses and sheathing at a cost of about $800. Its structure uses the Town lattice truss, patented in 1820 by Ithiel Town, with planks joined by wooden pins. Only 10 examples of this truss type remain in New York State. By the 1960s the bridge had deteriorated badly. Local preservationists rallied support, and a 1972 rehabilitation inserted laminated wood arches inside the trusses. A new deck and roof followed in 1998. The bridge still serves pedestrians and vehicles and is valued as a vernacular engineering and transportation landmark.","period_of_significance":"1853","architect_builder":"Samuel Hamm (builder)","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Remains in daily use carrying pedestrian and vehicular traffic; rehabilitated in 1972, with a new deck, shingle roof and paint in 1998. Maintained by Tompkins County.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.4421-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/00000095.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000095/47cb1e6212-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000095/47cb1e6212-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Upstate New York","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newfield_Covered_Bridge_Feb_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Upstate New York</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newfield_Covered_Bridge_Feb_10.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322516","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfield_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7017775"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/tompkins-county/newfield-covered-bridge-00000095/"}