{"nrhp_refnum":"75001530","name":"South Salem Covered Bridge","other_names":["Buckskin Covered Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"W of South Salem on Lower Twin Rd. across Buckskin Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"South Salem","county":"Ross County","state":"OH","lat":39.33435452800006,"lon":-83.31434267999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-03-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span wooden covered bridge carrying Lower Twin Road over Buckskin Creek just west of South Salem, Ross County, Ohio, built in 1873. It is an 8-panel Smith truss with stone abutments.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the bridge as a surviving example of the Smith truss, an engineering type patented by Ohioan Robert W. Smith, built by the Smith Bridge Company. It is described as the last covered bridge in Ross County. It has also served the community of South Salem for over a century and still provides access to the village from the west.","narrative":"Spanning Buckskin Creek just west of South Salem, this single-span wooden covered bridge carries Lower Twin Road and dates to 1873. Bids were opened that June, and the Smith Bridge Company won with the lowest offer, $18.75 per lineal foot, while Robert Matthews built the stone abutments. The structure is an 8-panel Smith truss, a design patented by Ohioan Robert W. Smith, with a 99-foot clear span and 115 feet overall. It has vertical board siding, a metal roof and projecting portals with square openings. Its outward appearance has changed little, though some floor joists were replaced in 1969 and repairs followed in 1971 and 1972. Also called the Buckskin Covered Bridge, it is the last covered bridge remaining in Ross County. Local residents wanted it preserved, and it still provides access to the village from the west.","period_of_significance":"1873 (19th Century)","architect_builder":"Smith Bridge Company (bridge); Robert Matthews (abutments)","architectural_style":"Smith truss (type 2), wooden covered bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition, largely unaltered and on its original site; some floor joists were replaced in 1969 and repairs were made in 1971 and 1972. Publicly owned and open to unrestricted public access.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.206332-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/75001530.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001530/b0879795c5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001530/b0879795c5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Salem_Covered_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Salem_Covered_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991217","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Salem_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7568361"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/ross-county/south-salem-covered-bridge-75001530/"}