{"nrhp_refnum":"98000430","name":"Silk Street Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Silk St., over E Branch of Owego Cr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newark Valley","county":"Tioga County","state":"NY","lat":42.21744248400006,"lon":-76.19364709899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-04-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span iron lenticular pony truss road bridge carrying Silk Street over the East Branch of Owego Creek in the village of Newark Valley, Tioga County, New York, built about 1888 and resting on poured concrete abutments.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is a rare surviving example of a lenticular truss bridge in the United States, a type made almost exclusively by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Connecticut. It is the only one of its type in the township and retains integrity of setting, construction, form and materials. It is also tied to the village's industry and commerce context.","narrative":"Carrying Silk Street over the East Branch of Owego Creek just inside the western edge of Newark Valley village, this iron bridge is a lenticular pony truss with a seventy-foot single span built of five panels. It rests on poured concrete abutments and stands about eight feet tall at the center. The bottom chord uses paired eyebars, and crossed iron rods serve as tension members in the central panels. A plaque, now in the local historical society museum, reportedly credits the Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Connecticut, and the year 1888. The bridge matters because lenticular trusses were an uncommon form, and only perhaps fifty to one hundred are thought to survive nationwide. Nearly all known survivors came from that Connecticut firm or its predecessor. This is the only example in the township. It was recognized for engineering significance, having kept its original construction, form, materials and setting. It remains in road use today.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1888","architect_builder":"Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Connecticut (per a reported plaque reading \"Bridge East Berlin, Conn. John M. Clifford, Commissioner, 1888\"); the form lists Architect/Builder as N/A","architectural_style":"OTHER: lenticular pony truss","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a road bridge (current function listed as road-related bridge); side railings are modern and the road surface is asphalt.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.808445-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/98000430.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000430/4118d19625-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000430/4118d19625-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Delphinium1","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silk_Street_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Delphinium1</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:Silk_Street_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315140","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Street_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7515207"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/tioga-county/silk-street-bridge-98000430/"}