Allan Teator Road Stone Arch Bridge
Why it's listed
A small limestone arch bridge in a wooded corner of northwestern Durham, Greene County, New York, carries Allan Teator Road over a tributary of Catskill Creek. Built in 1892, it is a single dry-laid span seven feet wide, with a round arch eight feet across and six feet high, springing from natural footings. It was built to give farmers in this remote area access to the Susquehanna Turnpike. Jeremiah Cunningham, the town's highway commissioner from 1886 to 1896, built it; eight of his stone arch bridges survive in the town. In the 1990s a new road and bridge were built about twenty feet downstream, so the old crossing no longer carries through traffic and now lies on a farm. It still supports its original earthen roadbed and has never been widened, which is unusual for a masonry bridge of its age. These qualities, along with its role in the town's transportation network, led to its listing for transportation and engineering significance.
Significance in brief: The bridge is a representative example of rural vernacular stone bridge design and shows how roads and bridges supported the development of the town of Durham. It is one of eight surviving stone arch bridges in the town built by highway commissioner Jeremiah Cunningham. It is also a rare masonry bridge of its period that keeps its original earthen roadbed and has never been widened.
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 07001365, listed January 9, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Allan Teator Rd., West Durham |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | January 9, 2008 |
| Reference number | 07001365 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1892 |
| Architect / builder | Jeremiah Cunningham, builder |
| Architectural style | no style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | No longer carries through traffic since a new road and bridge were built about twenty feet downstream in the 1990s; the original earthen roadbed is no longer in use and the bridge retains an exceptionally high level of integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.40751, -74.21967 (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 07001365.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4731000
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.