Gibson's Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Gibson's Covered Bridge is a Burr truss span carrying a township road across the East Branch of Brandywine Creek at Gibson's Ford, southeast of Downingtown in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Edward H. Hall and Thomas E. Schull built it in 1872 for $2,666. The bridge is also known as Harmony Hill Bridge. It measures 78 feet long and 14 feet wide and is owned by Chester County. Its horizontal clapboard siding and stepped portals distinguish it from other county bridges. It was nominated as one of eight Chester County covered bridges listed together under a thematic group. The group is regarded as representative of mid-to-late 19th century covered bridge construction and of the county's transportation history. The bridge was recorded in good condition at the time of nomination.
Significance in brief: The document describes the bridge as one of eight covered bridges in Chester County listed as a group under a thematic nomination. It is cited as a good example of mid-to-late 19th century covered bridge construction and of the county's early-to-late 19th century transportation history. Its horizontal clapboard siding and stepped portals are noted as distinguishing features.
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 80003456, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Downingtown on T 391, East/West Bradford Townships, Downingtown |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003456 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1872 |
| Architect / builder | Edward H. Hall and Thomas E. Schull (builders) |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.97623, -75.68286 (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 80003456.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5559251
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.