Stephens, Linton, Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 over Big Elk Creek between Nottingham and New London townships in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the Linton Stephens Covered Bridge is a burr-truss span measuring 102 feet long and 15 feet wide, with a load limit of 4 tons. The site previously held a footbridge, then an iron bridge built by the county in 1875. That iron bridge was severely damaged by the flood of 1884, and the covered bridge replaced it. The bridge takes its name from Linton Stephens, a former local postmaster of Hickory Hill. Its listing was part of a group of eight Chester County covered bridges recognized as good examples of mid-to-late nineteenth-century transportation construction in the county. Later records had given the name as Stevens; county historical materials, including federal census entries, township atlases and petitions signed by Stephens, establish the correct spelling, and the Register's records were corrected to match.
Significance in brief: The nomination is a name-correction and additional-documentation submission for a listed covered bridge within the Covered Bridges of Chester County thematic group. It states the bridge is named for local postmaster Linton Stephens, with the correct spelling established from census records, township atlases and petitions bearing his signature. The bridge replaced an 1875 iron bridge damaged by the 1884 flood.
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 80003466, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SW of New London on T 344, Nottingham/New London Townships, New London |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003466 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good in the survey data. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.75661, -75.91241 (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 80003466.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6554919
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.