Greisemer's Mill Bridge
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Why it's listed
Greisemer's Mill Bridge is a covered bridge across Manatawny Creek in Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Its records date it to 1868. The bridge uses a Burr truss, a timber arch design, and it is 124 feet long and 14 feet 6 inches wide, with a clearance of 12 feet and a posted load limit of 3 tons. It has a gable roof, stone abutments and wide horizontal plank siding with a small window opening near the eaves. These features are shared with the other surviving covered bridges in Berks County. Of the 37 original county covered bridges, it is described as the last one remaining. Its significance lies in this survival as a representative example of the county's covered bridge building tradition. Repairs were carried out in 1957 and 1971, and the bridge is described as being in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The form describes it as the last remaining covered bridge of the 37 original covered bridges in Berks County, and it is listed as part of a thematic group of county covered bridges. Its Burr arch design, gable roof and stone abutments are presented as typical of the surviving county bridges, and it is in excellent condition after repairs in 1957 and 1971.
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 81000532, listed February 23, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Boyerstown on T 579, Oley Township, Oley |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | February 23, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000532 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Burr truss covered bridge |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In excellent condition after repairs in 1957 and 1971. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Oley Township Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.36292, -75.73808 (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 81000532.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5607325
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.