{"nrhp_refnum":"80003503","name":"St. Mary's Covered Bridge","other_names":["Shade Gap Covered Bridge","Bridge No. 8"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"4.5 mi S of Orbisonia on U.S. 522","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orbisonia","county":"Huntingdon County","state":"PA","lat":40.20585743500004,"lon":-77.87795360399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span covered bridge over Shade Creek on township route 358, just east of U.S. Route 552, in Orbisonia, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is also known as the St. Mary's or Shade Gap covered bridge and is dated 1889.","why_significant":"The bridge is described as the only remaining covered bridge in Huntingdon County and one of only four Howe truss covered bridges left in Pennsylvania. The Howe truss used iron rods as tension members, and its use for covered bridges in Pennsylvania is described as unusual.","narrative":"Built in 1889, the St. Mary's or Shade Gap covered bridge crosses Shade Creek on township route 358 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is a single span measuring 654 feet long and 16 feet 6 inches wide, carried on cut stone abutments. Its gable roof is covered in tin, and the Howe truss is partly enclosed by side walls with vertical exterior siding and horizontal interior walls. The Howe truss was patented in 1840 by William Howe, and its iron rods replaced a heavy timber post as tension members. Daniel Stone, Howe's brother-in-law, held the Pennsylvania rights and was responsible for many of the state's Howe bridges. The bridge is the only covered bridge remaining in Huntingdon County and one of only four Howe truss covered bridges left in Pennsylvania. Its rarity is the main reason for its listing. The bridge was repaired and painted in 1974 and is in excellent condition. It carries a load limit of two tons.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Howe truss covered bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition; repaired and painted in 1974; altered.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.463444-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003503.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003503/5fd5930a54-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003503/5fd5930a54-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ST._MARY%27S_COVERED_BRIDGE.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ MD</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:ST._MARY%27S_COVERED_BRIDGE.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996853","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7590263"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/huntingdon-county/st-marys-covered-bridge-80003503/"}