Swartz Creek Bridge on Aetna Springs Road
Why it's listed
Carrying Aetna Springs Road over Swartz Creek in a rural setting of trees and fields, this 1912 bridge is a single 42-foot span, earth-filled, closed-spandrel masonry arch. It is 54 feet long and 19.5 feet wide, with two lanes. Both the arch and the railings are built of square-cut stone laid in irregular courses. Napa County Surveyor O.H. Buckman designed it, and contractor A.C. Martini built it for $2,549.50. Napa County built many such stone bridges in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, helped by nearby high-quality building stone and skilled stonemasons. Maintenance records show only routine upkeep, and the bridge keeps its original appearance and setting. It was listed for its engineering significance at the local level, as a rare and unaltered example of a masonry arch bridge in California. It continues to serve vehicle traffic and is owned by the County of Napa.
Significance in brief: The bridge is a fine, essentially unaltered example of a rare masonry arch bridge type in California and meets the registration requirements for masonry arch bridges in the state's historic highway bridges listing. It was designed by Napa County Surveyor O.H. Buckman, whose designs account for the many stone arch bridges in the county. It is significant locally in the area of engineering under Criterion C.
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 05000780, listed August 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Aetna Springs Rd., 0.8 mi. W of Pope Valley Rd., Aetna Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Napa County |
| Listed | August 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000780 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1912 |
| Architect / builder | Buckman, O.H. (designer); Martini, A.C. (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Other: Masonry Arch Bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a road bridge; the structure appears essentially unaltered, with only routine maintenance since 1912. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Aetna Springs Resort |
| Coordinates | 38.65332, -122.47658 (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 05000780.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85804436
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.