Maxwell Creek Bridge on Hardin Road
Also known as: Bridge No. 21CO58
Why it's listed
Maxwell Creek Bridge carries Hardin Road over Maxwell Creek in a rural setting of trees and fields in Napa County, California. Built in 1909, it is a single 22.5-foot span, earth-filled, closed spandrel masonry arch. The two-lane structure is 38 feet long and 19.7 feet wide, built of square-cut stone laid in regular courses, with matching stone railings. County Surveyor O.H. Buckman designed it, and contractor J.B. Newman built it for $1,875. Buckman's designs account for the many masonry arch bridges in the county, and Newman was one of the main masonry bridge contractors in the Napa valley. Nearby quarries and skilled stonemasons made stone construction practical there long after other parts of California turned to metal and concrete. The bridge was found eligible in a 1980s state bridge survey and again in a 2003 update, which noted that it keeps its original design and setting. It is listed as a rare, unaltered example of its type, and it remains in use for vehicles.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant under Criterion C in the area of engineering, at the local level, as an unaltered example of a masonry arch bridge, a rare bridge type in California. It reflects Napa County's continued use of stone arch construction into the early twentieth century, supported by a county surveyor who favored stone, good local stone and skilled masons. It retains a high degree of integrity of design and setting.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000777, listed August 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Hardin Rd., 1.6 mi. SE of Pope Canyon Rd., Locoallomi |
|---|---|
| County | Napa County |
| Listed | August 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000777 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1909 |
| Architect / builder | Buckman, O.H. (designer); Newman, J.B. (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Other: Masonry Arch Bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in vehicular road use; the structure appears essentially unaltered, with only routine maintenance since construction. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.60152, -122.37119 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000777.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q113172210
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.