Elm Street Stone Arch Bridge
Why it's listed
Carrying Elm Street across Alton Creek in the hamlet of Pine Hill, this small stone arch bridge was built around 1900 by local mason Matthew G. Thompson. Town board minutes from December 1900 record the hiring of M.G. Thompson for $208 to build one of the stone bridges at Pine Hill. The structure is solid masonry with a single round arch of locally quarried stone, about 12 feet between abutments and roughly 6 feet from the creek surface to the top of the arch. Rough-dressed voussoirs and a keystone form the arch, while the spandrel walls use random coursed stone and the abutments use larger, carefully dressed stones. It is one of three surviving stone arch bridges in Pine Hill, and it is considered a rare Ulster County example of a craft that has largely died out. It remains substantially intact and keeps its natural setting, which led to its listing for architectural significance.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is architecturally significant as one of three intact examples of rural vernacular stone arch vehicular bridges in Shandaken and an extremely rare survivor in Ulster County. It shows traditional masonry bridge construction techniques and retains a high degree of integrity.
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 96001437, listed December 16, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Elm St., over Alton Cr., Pine Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | December 16, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001437 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | ca.1900 |
| Architect / builder | Thompson, Matthew G., Mason |
| Architectural style | OTHER (rural vernacular stone arch bridge) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as completely intact from its original construction, with a high degree of integrity and a preserved natural setting; owned by the Town of Shandaken and still used as a bridge. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Pine Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.13339, -74.47973 (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 96001437.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5366342
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.