Bridge in Albany Township
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1841 over Maiden Creek in Albany Township, Berks County, this rubble masonry highway bridge crosses the stream near Steinsville. It has three spans totalling 100 feet, with the main spans measuring 71 feet, and semi-circular arches built of dry-laid, roughly pointed stone. A stone plaque marks its construction date. The bridge is unaltered and still carries vehicular traffic in a rural farming area. Its significance lies in engineering. It is regarded as a very well preserved example of the intermediate-length, multiple-span stone arch bridges common among Berks County's nineteenth-century highway crossings. The nominated property covers the superstructure and substructure, bounded by the outside corners of the wing walls, and is less than one acre in extent.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes the bridge as a typical example of a nineteenth-century multiple-span rubble masonry highway bridge in Berks County. It is regarded as a very well preserved representative of intermediate-length bridges with semi-circular arches and rubble-stone construction common in the county's 19th-century bridges. The area of significance is engineering.
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 88000769, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | LR 06173 over Maiden Creek, Steinsville |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000769 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unaltered, original site, with use for vehicular traffic. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.63527, -75.85554 (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 88000769.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4966338
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.