{"nrhp_refnum":"76001464","name":"Belle Hall Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"E of Croton on Dutch Cross Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Croton","county":"Licking County","state":"OH","lat":40.23550550500005,"lon":-82.64053943199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-10-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-span wooden multiple kingpost truss covered bridge over Otter Fork on Dutch Cross Road (Township Road 56), about three miles east of Croton in Bennington Township, Licking County, Ohio. The original form dates it to 1887; a 1986 update gives 1879.","why_significant":"It is the last covered bridge remaining in Bennington Township and one of only seven left in a county that once had about eighty. It is a simple example of the multiple kingpost truss, the most common wooden truss type in Ohio, built with trunnel-pinned timbers.","narrative":"This single-span covered bridge carries Dutch Cross Road over Otter Fork, about three miles east of Croton in Licking County, Ohio. Built in 1887 according to the original nomination, though later research in county commissioners' records suggested 1879, it uses a four-panel multiple kingpost truss with an open center panel. It measures 56 feet overall with a 42-foot clear span, and has vertical board siding, a metal roof, cut-stone abutments and diagonally cut portals. The builder is unknown. The bridge was altered over time: a 16-ton truck broke through the floor in 1971, and five steel I-beams now support it from abutment to abutment. Some truss diagonals are missing. It is the last covered bridge left in Bennington Township and one of seven remaining in a county that once had about eighty. Local residents wanted it preserved, and it still serves a quiet rural road in a scenic setting.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Builder unknown","architectural_style":"Multiple kingpost truss covered bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Reported in good condition, in use on a little-traveled township road; floor system rebuilt with steel I-beams after a 1971 failure.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.282547-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001464.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989730","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Hall_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q58904029"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/licking-county/belle-hall-covered-bridge-76001464/"}