Skeen's Mill Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Skeen's Mill Covered Bridge is a single-span wooden bridge, about 100 feet long, crossing a branch of the Little Uwharrie River in western Randolph County, North Carolina, roughly 22 feet above the streambed. It rests on dry-laid stone ramps and an auxiliary support, and combines an Ithiel Town lattice truss with queenpost framing, with joints fastened by trunnels. Vertical board-and-batten siding covers the sides, a standing-seam tin roof tops the gable, and plank treads run along the floor. A flood once toppled the structure, after which it was set upright again and braced with steel cables. The bridge matters because only two of the scores of covered bridges built in Randolph County remain. County commissioners' minutes from 1900 record a payment for repairs, showing it was standing before that year. It carries Town's patented lattice system and is described as the last Town lattice bridge in North Carolina in its original form. Its significance lies in engineering, architecture and transportation.
Significance in brief: Of the scores of covered bridges once built in Randolph County, only two survive, and this is one of them. It uses Ithiel Town's lattice truss, patented in 1820, and is described as the last of the Town lattice bridges in the state in which they were first built. County records show it was in place, and being repaired, by 1900.
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 72000987, listed January 20, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1.7 mi. W of Flint Hill on SR 1406 off SR 1408, Flint Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Randolph County |
| Listed | January 20, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000987 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architectural style | Combination of Ithiel Town lattice truss and queenpost truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, altered; the bridge once toppled in a flood and was set back up and stabilized with steel cables. Preservation work was in progress. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 35.76544, -79.99306 (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 72000987.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19820553
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.