{"nrhp_refnum":"76001539","name":"Eakin Mill Covered Bridge","other_names":["McLaughlin Bridge","Geer's Mill Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Mound Hill Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arbaugh","county":"Vinton County","state":"OH","lat":39.171290629000055,"lon":-82.33688881599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-03-16","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 Big Raccoon Creek at Arbaugh, Vinton Township, Vinton County, Ohio, on Mound Hill Road. It was built in 1870/71 by Gilman and Ward Company of McArthur.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a fine example of a heavily built double multiple kingpost truss with an added plank brace or arch, a type of which only a few remain in Ohio. It is also one of only two covered bridges left over the Raccoon, and it is tied to the local mill and to the Geer family, whose name is shared by both bridges.","narrative":"Spanning Big Raccoon Creek at Arbaugh in Vinton County, Ohio, this covered bridge carries Mound Hill Road about half a mile north of the Appalachian Highway. Gilman and Ward Company of McArthur built it in 1870/71 for $2,200. Its 122-foot frame has a double multiple kingpost truss with a segmented plank arch between the trusses, vertical battened siding, projecting portals, a sheet metal roof and cut-stone abutments. Only a few double multiple kingpost bridges of this kind remain in Ohio. It served a busy mill, first run by the Eakin family, later by Henry Clay Geer and then the McLaughlins, who tore the mill down in 1938. It is one of two covered bridges left over the Raccoon, and local people often call both Geer's Mill Bridge. Steel rods and channels now reinforce it. Truck damage led the county to close it to traffic.","period_of_significance":"1870/71","architect_builder":"Gilman and Ward Company","architectural_style":"Multiple kingpost truss (double multiple kingpost with plank brace or arch)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Closed to traffic by the county after damage from heavy trucks during Appalachian Highway construction; no plans to repair or reopen it. Roof is in good condition and most siding is intact.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.800433-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/76001539.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001539/fce401bb83-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001539/fce401bb83-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"tcpix","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eakin_Mill_Covered_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">tcpix</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:Eakin_Mill_Covered_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71991810","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eakin_Mill_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5325436"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/vinton-county/eakin-mill-covered-bridge-76001539/"}