Mt. Olive Road Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning the middle fork of Salt Creek one mile northeast of Allensville, this single-span covered bridge carries Mt. Olive Road in Vinton County, Ohio. Built in 1875 by stone mason and builder George Washington Pilcher, it uses a simple queenpost truss, with vertical high-boarded siding, a metal roof and stone and concrete abutments. It measures 50 feet 6 inches portal to portal and 14 feet 2 inches wide. Steel channels and I-beams were later added for reinforcement. County commissioners accepted the finished bridge on November 9, 1875. Locals once called it the Grandstaff Bridge, after a family that owned nearby land, and both bridge and road take their names from the Mt. Olive Church. The site lies at the mouth of a valley once used by an important trail between Chillicothe and Marietta. Supporters of its listing noted that it is the only surviving Pilcher bridge and one of few queenpost truss bridges left in the area.
Significance in brief: The bridge was built by George Washington Pilcher, a well-known Vinton County stone mason and builder, and is the only one of his bridges still standing. Very few covered bridges, and few pure queenpost truss bridges, remain in the area. It also sits at the mouth of a valley once crossed by an important trail between Chillicothe and Marietta.
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 76001538, listed October 8, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 mi. NE of Allensville on Mt. Olive Rd., Allensville |
|---|---|
| County | Vinton County |
| Listed | October 8, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001538 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1875 |
| Architect / builder | George Washington Pilcher |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked fair, original site; steel channels, steel I-beams and a metal roof have been added. Function listed as covered bridge both then and now. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.28625, -82.58917 (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 76001538.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6930302
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.