Shady Glen Road Stone Arch Bridge
Also known as: Elliotts' Bridge
Why it's listed
Carrying Shady Glen Road over a small tributary of Catskill Creek, this limestone arch bridge sits in a rural part of Durham, roughly midway between the hamlets of Durham Centre and Cornwallville. Built in the spring of 1886, it is a single-span structure of dry-laid local limestone with a round arch spanning fourteen feet. Jeremiah Cunningham built it soon after becoming the town's highway commissioner, a post he held for ten years while building thirteen stone arch bridges. The crossing lay on the main route between the two hamlets and gave access to an adjacent mill, and it may also have served nearby tourist guest houses. In the late twentieth century the west end was widened by eight feet using a steel culvert, fill and stone facing, and the abutments received concrete footings. The original eighteen-inch-thick arch survives behind the addition. The bridge is recognized for its craftsmanship and its place in local transportation history.
Significance in brief: The bridge is argued to be a representative example of rural vernacular stone bridge design and to reflect the role of roads and bridges in the development of the town of Durham. It is one of eight surviving stone arch bridges in the town built by Jeremiah Cunningham while he served as bridge commissioner. Despite an eight-foot widening and concrete abutment reinforcement, it retains enough integrity to show its design and craftsmanship.
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 07001368, listed January 9, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Shady Glen Rd. at Stone Bridge Rd., Cornwallville |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | January 9, 2008 |
| Reference number | 07001368 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1886 |
| 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) | Still in road use; widened by eight feet in the late twentieth century, with the original arch intact behind the addition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37991, -74.14503 (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 07001368.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7460893
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.