{"nrhp_refnum":"75001665","name":"Starrucca Viaduct","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"SR 57058 over Starrucca Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lanesboro","county":"Susquehanna County","state":"PA","lat":41.964165844000036,"lon":-75.58357666199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-10-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A stone railroad viaduct carrying tracks across Starrucca Creek at Lanesboro, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1847-48 of native gray sandstone.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is one of the oldest stone railroad bridges still in use and one of the earliest structural concrete bridges in the United States, making it important to civil engineering history. It also cites its ability to carry heavier loads and traffic over time, and the visual quality of its tapered piers and arches. Its builder, James P. Kirkwood, is described as a pioneer in urban water supply and pollution engineering.","narrative":"Built in 1847-48 across Starrucca Creek at Lanesboro, Pennsylvania, this railroad viaduct is constructed of fine-textured gray sandstone quarried nearby. It has seventeen arches, each with a fifty-foot span and twenty-foot rise, and runs 1,040 feet long and 25 feet wide, with piers founded on solid gravel beneath alluvium. Its piers and arches were rough-dressed, with draft-chiselled quoins. The bridge was designed to carry a single track and an engine and tender under fifty tons; it now carries two tracks and more than 417 tons. Construction was supervised by James P. Kirkwood after several earlier contractors failed. It is regarded as one of the earliest structural uses of concrete in American bridge building, and as one of the oldest stone railroad bridges still in service. Its tapered piers and proportions are also valued for their appearance.","period_of_significance":"1848","architect_builder":"Julius Adams (designer, probably); James P. Kirkwood (construction supervisor)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Now carries two tracks and has been altered by waterproofing, concrete deck additions and sandblasting, though its outward appearance is said to be unchanged.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.14546-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/75001665.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001665/cef4ca19e3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001665/cef4ca19e3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAER-Starrucca_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAER-Starrucca_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996153","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starrucca_Viaduct","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7602264"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/susquehanna-county/starrucca-viaduct-75001665/"}