Barkhurst Mill Covered Bridge
Also known as: Williams Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning Wolf Creek two miles northeast of Chesterhill in Morgan County, Ohio, this covered bridge was built in 1872 by John Shrake, with cut sandstone abutments laid by Elisha W. Kirby. It is a ten-panel, single-span multiple kingpost truss with three-ply wooden arches, projecting portals and unpainted vertical board siding. The structure measures 92 feet 6 inches long and still carries a few vehicles daily, and the Buckeye Trail crosses it. It takes its name from a nearby gristmill whose remains lie about 75 feet away. Its listing rests on engineering significance. It represents the multiple kingpost design, the most common wooden truss type in Ohio, and it is a surviving work of Shrake, one of the state's foremost bridge builders of the mid-1800s. Only three of his bridges remain, and this is the only one known in Morgan County. Floods, a snowstorm and later repairs have altered parts of it, but it remains on its original site.
Significance in brief: The bridge is argued to be significant under Criterion C as an example of the multiple kingpost truss design in Ohio. It is also a representative work of John Shrake, a leading bridge builder of 1850-1875, of whose bridges only three survive. It is one of five covered bridges left in Morgan County and one of three still on their original sites.
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 99000097, listed February 5, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Township Rd. 21 over Wolf Creek, Chesterhill |
|---|---|
| County | Morgan County |
| Listed | February 5, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000097 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1872 to 1948 |
| Architect / builder | John Shrake - Builder; E.W. Kirby - Stonemason |
| Architectural style | Other: Covered Bridge (multiple kingpost truss with added laminated arches) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Open to traffic, carrying about 10 vehicles per day; extensive maintenance was done in 1996, including new end sills, steel supports and a new corrugated metal roof. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.50289, -81.83414 (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 99000097.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q58904042
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.