{"nrhp_refnum":"78002004","name":"Blackwood Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S of Athens on SR 46","address_restricted":false,"city":"Athens","county":"Athens County","state":"OH","lat":39.19732397200005,"lon":-81.97468747699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-06-23","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 built in 1881 over the middle branch of the Shade River on County Road 46 in Lodi Township, about 10 miles southeast of Athens, Athens County, Ohio.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an example of the multiple kingpost truss, the most commonly used wooden bridge truss in early Ohio. It is also described as one of Ohio's more remote covered spans, set in an unchanged agricultural valley. The state evaluated its significance as local.","narrative":"Spanning the middle branch of the Shade River on County Road 46 in Lodi Township, this covered bridge was built in 1881 using an eight-panel multiple kingpost truss. It is 85 feet long overall, with a 14-foot-2-inch roadway, vertical high-boarded siding, a metal roof, projecting portals and cut-stone abutments. Steel rods were added to the trusses in 1905, and a galvanized steel pier placed under the center in 1975 now carries the main load. The bridge takes its name from the Blackwood family, prominent landowners in the township. The multiple kingpost design was the most widely used wooden truss in early Ohio because an ordinary carpenter could erect it easily. The bridge was listed because it represents that common type and because it remains in a quiet, remote farming valley, with no nearby homes. The nomination notes that recent repairs should keep it in place for years to come.","period_of_significance":"1881","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Multiple kingpost truss covered bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by Athens County. Steel rods were added in 1905, and in 1975 a galvanized steel pier was placed under the center, which now carries the main load. The bridge still sits on its original cut-stone abutments.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.437579-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002004.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002004/79a2c047ca-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002004/79a2c047ca-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jaknouse","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackwood_Covered_Bridge-6.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jaknouse</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:Blackwood_Covered_Bridge-6.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986747","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwood_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60741963"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/athens-county/blackwood-covered-bridge-78002004/"}