{"nrhp_refnum":"76001518","name":"Warnke Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"NE of Lewisburg on Swamp Creek Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lewisburg","county":"Preble County","state":"OH","lat":39.87387652800004,"lon":-84.51455709899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-10-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-span wooden covered bridge carrying Swamp Creek Road over Swamp Creek in Harrison Township, about two miles northeast of Lewisburg, Preble County, Ohio. It was built in 1895 by Evrett S. Sherman and is owned by Preble County.","why_significant":"The bridge is an outstanding example of the rare Childs truss, which the form says is found only in Ohio. It is also the last covered bridge built by master bridge-builder Evrett S. Sherman, and it remains an important local crossing of Swamp Creek.","narrative":"Warnke Covered Bridge carries Swamp Creek Road over Swamp Creek about two miles northeast of Lewisburg in Preble County, Ohio. Evrett S. Sherman built it in 1895 using the Childs truss, a design patented in 1846 that uses iron rods as counterbraces. The bridge is a six-panel span 51 feet 6 inches long, with vertical white pine siding, a metal roof, and stone abutments later reinforced with concrete after the 1913 flood. It replaced an iron pony truss bridge washed out by flooding. Sherman came to Preble County in 1886 to help rebuild storm-damaged bridges, and this was his last covered bridge. It is the shortest covered span in the county and is described as an outstanding example of a truss type found only in Ohio. The county replaced floor beams and the roof over the years, and repaired arson damage in 1972. The bridge still serves local residents as a crossing.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1895)","architect_builder":"Evrett S. Sherman","architectural_style":"Childs truss covered bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as a creek crossing and well maintained by Preble County. Repairs followed an arson attempt in January 1972.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.193097-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001518.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001518/0ede49ddb5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001518/0ede49ddb5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warnke_Covered_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warnke_Covered_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991065","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warnke_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7969837"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/preble-county/warnke-covered-bridge-76001518/"}