Copeland Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning Beecher Creek in a rocky, wooded ravine in Edinburg, Saratoga County, this small covered bridge was built in 1879 for farmer and mill owner Arad Copeland. Its 30-foot queenpost truss is framed with squared, circular-sawn timbers joined by mortise and tenon and wood pins, and rests on dry-laid fieldstone abutments. Vertical board siding and a corrugated galvanized metal roof shelter the deck. Copeland wanted a more durable replacement for a series of open footbridges that ice and spring floods had destroyed, so that livestock could reach his hillside pastures. Local mason Meltzer Manning laid the abutments and A. Ellithorpe framed the timbers. The bridge served this purpose until about 1930. It is the only known surviving covered queenpost bridge in New York State, and the only one of five covered bridges in the Sacandaga watershed to survive the creation of the Great Sacandaga Lake. Its upland, private-farm location helped it endure.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant under Criteria A and C as a rare and substantially intact example of rural vernacular timber truss bridge construction in the Sacandaga Valley. It is the only known surviving covered queenpost bridge in New York State. It is also the only one of five covered bridges in the area to survive the flooding that created the Great Sacandaga Lake in 1930.
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 98000998, listed August 6, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | North Shore Rd., over Beecher Cr., Edinburg |
|---|---|
| County | Saratoga County |
| Listed | August 6, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000998 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1879-ca.1930 |
| Architect / builder | Arad Copeland |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant/not in use as a current function; the form says it is maintained by the Edinburg Historical Society. It was used to move livestock until about 1930. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 43.22094, -74.10015 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 98000998.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5168357
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.