{"nrhp_refnum":"80003563","name":"Bittenbender Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S of Huntington Mills off LR 40076, Huntington Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Huntington Mills","county":"Luzerne County","state":"PA","lat":41.18089351800006,"lon":-76.22458184299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A queenpost truss covered bridge over Huntington Creek in Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, near Huntington Mills. It is 68 ft 8 in long and 13 ft wide, with an 11 ft 4 in clearance.","why_significant":"The form describes it as the last covered bridge in Luzerne County and as an example of its truss form. It is listed as a contributing resource within the Covered Bridges of the Delaware River Watershed thematic group. Its builders were Frank, Monroe and Stephen Harrison Dodson, and it was built in 1888.","narrative":"Built in 1888 by the Dodson brothers, Frank, Monroe and Stephen Harrison Dodson, this covered bridge crosses Huntington Creek in Huntington Township, Luzerne County. It is a queenpost truss structure measuring 68 feet 8 inches long and 13 feet wide, with 11 feet 4 inches of clearance and a rated load of 5 tons. The bridge has a double layer of oak planking for its floor and rough vertical plank siding, parts of which are now missing. In 1936 a center concrete pier and undergirder members were added, and outriggers followed in 1974. It is regarded as the last covered bridge in Luzerne County. The nomination also records that in 1927 the Ku Klux Klan burned two Bittenbender barns and attempted to set the bridge alight with gas-soaked straw, though the bridge survived. Its value lies in its surviving queenpost construction and its place among the covered bridges of the Delaware River watershed.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Frank, Monroe and Stephen Harrison Dodson (builders)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in fair condition, with repairs in 1936 and outriggers added in 1974; rough vertical plank siding is missing in several places.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.577934-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003563.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003563/bf27a11ec9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003563/bf27a11ec9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bittenbender_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:Bittenbender_Covered_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993346","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bittenbender_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12053161"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/luzerne-county/bittenbender-covered-bridge-80003563/"}