{"nrhp_refnum":"95000541","name":"Howard Tunnel, Northern Central Railway","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Northern Central RR tracks near S. Br., Codorus Cr., North Codorus Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Salem","county":"York County","state":"PA","lat":39.891134487000045,"lon":-76.75022096399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Howard Tunnel is a railroad tunnel on the Northern Central Railway, located seven miles south of York in York County, Pennsylvania. It was cut through more than 300 feet of solid rock and completed in 1840.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the tunnel is significant for its engineering, being a rock-cut passage required by the railroad's chosen route. It also gains significance from its 1868 reworking, when a second set of tracks was added and the arched entrances were renovated.","narrative":"Howard Tunnel is a railroad tunnel on the Northern Central Railway, seven miles south of York in York County, Pennsylvania. The railroad's route required the tunnel to be cut through more than 300 feet of solid rock. Although it was functional, the tunnel was not completed until 1840, two years after the line began operation. In 1868 it was reworked when a second set of tracks was added to the line. Because the original bore was wide enough for the new track, the work concentrated on renovating the arched entrances. The entrances are built of rough-faced, coursed ashlar stone topped by rusticated coping. Limestone date stones above the arches read 1840 at the south end and 1868 at the north. The interior is lined with brick. A pedestrian niche on the west wall at the midpoint gave people caught inside a place of refuge when a train passed. The tunnel is regarded as being in good condition and as retaining its historic integrity.","period_of_significance":"1840-1942","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Howard Tunnel is in good condition and has retained its historic integrity.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.177689-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/95000541.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000541/3085828066-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000541/3085828066-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Onore Baka Sama","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heritage_Railroad_Trail_County_Park_Howard_Tunnel.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Onore Baka Sama</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:Heritage_Railroad_Trail_County_Park_Howard_Tunnel.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994109","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Tunnel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15226129"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/york-county/howard-tunnel-northern-central-railway-95000541/"}