Geeting Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning a creek on Price Road west of Lewisburg, this covered bridge in Preble County, Ohio, was built in 1894 by Evrett S. Sherman. It is a single 100-foot span on cut limestone abutments, with vertical board siding, a low-pitched shingled gable roof, and a 15-foot-wide roadway. Its structure follows the Childs truss, patented in 1846 by Horace Childs, which combines multiple kingpost framing with iron bars as diagonal counterbraces. Ohio holds the only known covered bridges of this type in the country, and seven of the eight survivors are in Preble County. Sherman, a New Hampshire native living in Eaton, built 15 bridges in the county over ten years after an 1886 storm washed out many crossings. He standardized his truss parts and prefabricated them in his Eaton bridge yard. The county has added an oak runway and small wall windows to deter vandalism.
Significance in brief: It is an example of the Childs truss, patented in 1846 by Horace Childs, which uses iron bars as diagonal counterbraces in a multiple kingpost frame. Ohio has the only known covered bridges of this type in the nation, and seven of the eight remaining are in Preble County. The nomination presents it as a unique example of Ohio's and the nation's engineering heritage.
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 75001528, listed August 19, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2 mi. W of Lewisburg on Price Rd., Lewisburg |
|---|---|
| County | Preble County |
| Listed | August 19, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001528 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (1894) |
| Architect / builder | Evrett S. Sherman |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and altered, on its original site; the county added an oak runway over the original beech floor beams, cut small windows in the side walls to discourage vandalism, and pointed the stone abutments with cement-sand stucco. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.84373, -84.59710 (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 75001528.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5529988
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.