Glen Hope Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Built in 1889 over Little Elk Creek in Elk Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, the Glen Hope Covered Bridge is a Burr truss structure measuring 65 feet long and 16 feet wide. Menander Wood built the woodwork for $994, and George E. Jones, a skilled marble and granite cutter, did the stonework for $773, bringing the total cost to $1,767. The bridge stands at Anderson's Ford, named for a local farmer, John Anderson, and lies about half a mile from the Maryland-Pennsylvania border. It is owned by Chester County and is recorded as being in good condition. It is one of a group of covered bridges in the county that is regarded as a good example of nineteenth-century transportation construction, and it was included as part of a multiple-property grouping of the county's covered bridges.
Significance in brief: The bridge is listed as one of the covered bridges of Chester County, a group of eight new listings that the document says are good examples of mid-to-late nineteenth century bridge construction. The nomination notes its significance in early transportation history in the county. Its Burr truss design and construction by a local carpenter and stonecutter are presented as representative of that tradition.
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 80003472, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W of Lewisville on T 344, Elk Township, West Grove |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003472 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Menander Wood and George E. Jones (builders) |
| Architectural style | Burr truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.72700, -75.90746 (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 80003472.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5567816
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.