Rexleigh Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning the Batten Kill at Rexleigh, in the town of Jackson, Washington County, New York, this covered bridge was built in 1874 as a highway crossing. It is a single 107-foot Howe truss span, 16 feet wide between curbs, carrying two lanes. The structure combines timber and iron: laminated timber top and bottom chords, paired 8x8 timber diagonals, vertical iron tension rods, and stone and concrete abutments. Cast-iron bearing blocks are also part of its construction. The bridge originally gave access across the stream to a water-powered factory on the north bank, now in ruins. It was listed because it is a rare survivor of a bridge type once common across New York, showing how standard engineering designs were adapted to rural needs in the wooden age. The inventory notes it was closed to traffic and that scouring of the abutments posed a threat, and later correspondence records a dispute over matching grant funds for repairs.
Significance in brief: The bridge is described as a rare surviving example of a once-common transportation structure in New York State. It illustrates how standard engineering designs were adapted to rural bridge-building during America's wooden age. It was built of standard sawed timbers, iron tension rods and cast-iron bearing blocks, a type of prefabricated nineteenth-century construction.
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 78003459, listed March 8, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Off NY 22, Jackson |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | March 8, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78003459 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Architect: William Howe patent truss (1840); builder unknown |
| Architectural style | Howe truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Inventory form lists present use as the same as original (highway bridge) but notes it was closed to traffic; scouring of abutments listed as a threat. A 1978 letter reports the county committee voted against matching restoration grant money, raising the prospect of demolition. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 43.13654, -73.35512 (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 78003459.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14629041
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.