{"nrhp_refnum":"76001623","name":"High Bridge","other_names":["Bridge of the Penn-Central Transportation Co., Coatesville"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Spans west branch of the Brandywine","address_restricted":false,"city":"Coatesville","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":39.984113164000064,"lon":-75.82712304699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-03-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ten-arch stone railway bridge carrying four tracks over the west branch of the Brandywine Creek at Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, built in 1903 for the Pennsylvania Railroad.","why_significant":"The bridge is presented as a late example of a masonry arch technique that was used for centuries and was largely superseded by new materials and labor patterns by 1920. Its durability and low maintenance record are cited, and the photographic record of its construction is described as an important study of engineering methods and timing.","narrative":"Stone railway bridge at Coatesville, built in 1903 across the west branch of the Brandywine Creek, with ten arches of stone voussoirs, nine piers, and rusticated stone-work filling the spaces between the arches. Each arch is ninety-six feet high. The Pennsylvania Railroad built it as part of a bridge rebuilding program begun around 1887 under chief engineer William A. Brown. A corps of specially imported Italian masons worked on the construction. Excavation by Dunleavy Brothers of West Chester began in November 1902, and the arches were built under the direction of Goil and Company of Lancaster about a month later. The bridge is regarded as one of the last major uses of masonry arch construction in railway work, a method that was tested over centuries and was outmoded by new materials and a changed labor market by 1920. It followed three earlier wood and iron crossings of the creek. Lukens Steel Corporation negatives documenting the monthly progress of the work are important to the history of engineering.","period_of_significance":"1903","architect_builder":"William A. Brown (chief engineer); Dunleavy Brothers, West Chester (excavation); Goil and Company, Lancaster (arch construction)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, with arches and stonework showing no signs of wear.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:28.891296-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/76001623.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001623/10c063e7f1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001623/10c063e7f1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Choess","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coatesville_High_Bridge.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Choess</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coatesville_High_Bridge.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995085","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Bridge_(Coatesville,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5754950"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/high-bridge-76001623/"}