Bartram's Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Bartram's Covered Bridge is a Burr truss structure crossing Crum Creek on the boundary between Chester and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania. Ferdinand Wood built it in 1860. It measures 60 feet in length and 13 feet in width. The bridge is distinguished by its unusual slanted plank portals, a feature the nomination states is found on no other bridge in Pennsylvania. It is also the only covered bridge that remains partly in Delaware County, a county that once had thirty covered bridges. Traffic was halted on the bridge in 1941. A local historical society and concerned citizens preserved and restored it in 1970. The bridge is one of a group of covered bridges in Chester County documented in a thematic nomination covering the county's surviving examples of nineteenth-century wooden bridge construction.
Significance in brief: The bridge has unique slanted plank portals, which the nomination describes as the only bridge in Pennsylvania with this design. It is also the only covered bridge remaining partly in Delaware County, a county that once had 30 covered bridges. It was closed to traffic in 1941 and later preserved and restored in 1970 by a local historical society and concerned citizens.
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 80003462, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | W of Newtown on LR 15098, Willistown/Newtown Townships, Media |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003462 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Ferdinand Wood (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; closed to traffic in 1941, later preserved and restored in 1970. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.98994, -75.43724 (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 80003462.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4865783
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.