{"nrhp_refnum":"88000826","name":"Perkiomen Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Ridge Pike over Perkiomen Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Collegeville","county":"Montgomery County","state":"PA","lat":40.18423336600006,"lon":-75.44786970899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A long-span stone highway bridge carrying Ridge Pike over Perkiomen Creek in the Borough of Collegeville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.","why_significant":"The nomination describes the bridge as an excellent example of a long-span eighteenth-century stone highway bridge. Its overall length of 350 feet and its main arch span of 76 feet are described as unusual, and its belt courses and decorative piers add to its distinctiveness. The area of significance is engineering.","narrative":"Ridge Pike crosses Perkiomen Creek in the Borough of Collegeville, Montgomery County, on a stone arch bridge completed in 1798 or 1799, according to a decorative plaque set in its parapet wall. The bridge was designed by John Lewes and built by masons John Pugh, Samuel Beard and John Burk. It is 350 feet long, and its main arch spans 76 feet, lengths that the nomination describes as unusual for a bridge of its date. Belt courses and decorative piers further distinguish its masonry. The structure was widened in 1928, with extensions added to the piers on both sides and a sidewalk on one side. Its significance rests on its engineering, as an example of long-span stone highway construction from the late eighteenth century. The bridge carries vehicles today and remains in use across the creek beside the Colonial Period Inn.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John Lewes (architect); John Pugh, Samuel Beard and John Burk (masons)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Widened in 1928; vehicular use continues from the original.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.777812-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88000826.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000826/5ddbc5bcc7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000826/5ddbc5bcc7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Montgomery County Planning Commission","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Collegeville_Bridge_looking_up_the_Perkiomen_Creek.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Montgomery County Planning Commission</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:Collegeville_Bridge_looking_up_the_Perkiomen_Creek.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkiomen_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7169080"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/montgomery-county/perkiomen-bridge-88000826/"}