{"nrhp_refnum":"88001456","name":"Burkeville Covered Bridge","other_names":["Conway Covered Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Main Poland Rd. over South River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Conway","county":"Franklin County","state":"MA","lat":42.48374047400006,"lon":-72.71171499399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-09-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span covered highway bridge over the South River on Main Poland Road in Burkeville, a former mill village in Conway, Franklin County, Massachusetts, built in 1870-71.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is one of only five historic-period covered bridges in Massachusetts and the only example of the multiple kingrod truss in the state. It is also the oldest known combination timber and iron truss in the state. It is closely tied to the development of Burkeville village and the town.","narrative":"Spanning the South River in the former mill village of Burkeville, in Conway, Massachusetts, this 106-foot covered bridge was built in 1870-71 to replace an earlier span weakened by the great flood of October 1869. Town records show carpenter Sylvanus P. Sherman received the largest share of payments for the work, and he may also have designed it. The bridge uses a multiple kingrod truss, in which paired wrought-iron rods work with timber diagonals, and it is the only example of that truss type in the state. It is one of only five historic-period covered bridges in Massachusetts and the oldest known combination timber and iron truss there. It also served the village and carried milk and produce from farms in the Poland district. Repairs came in 1940, the early 1960s and 1975, when volunteers rebuilt a roof that collapsed under snow. Traffic has been barred since 1985.","period_of_significance":"1870-1938","architect_builder":"Sherman, Sylvanus P.","architectural_style":"Other; Multiple Kingrod Truss","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed to vehicular traffic by the State in 1985 until the bridge is strengthened or heavy vehicles are barred; listed as vacant/not in use.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.301457-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/7951/63795153/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/88001456.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88001456/ed9a6503b0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88001456/ed9a6503b0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burkeville_Covered_Bridge,_Conway_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burkeville_Covered_Bridge,_Conway_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795153","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkeville_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4998985"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/franklin-county/burkeville-covered-bridge-88001456/"}