Hollingshead Covered Bridge No. 40
Why it's listed
Hollingshead Covered Bridge No. 40 is a covered timber bridge near Catawissa in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, measuring 116.9 feet long with a roadway 15.33 feet wide and 11 feet of clearance. It follows the Burr Truss Arch design, with five diagonal beams on either side of a central king post and an arch superimposed over each truss. The roof is metal, the north portal is a curved arch of horizontal boards, and the walls are board and batten with some plain vertical plank repairs. The flooring is horizontal boards with two runways. No steel beams were added to the undergirding or deck, and the original stone and mortar abutments remain basically intact, though concrete reinforcement has been added in places. The bridge is significant for its engineering and its role in transportation. Covered bridges like it were built to carry travel between growing towns and the farms and saw and grist mills that depended on them. Its construction is considered unique because covered bridges have not been built in Columbia County for about fifty years.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is significant under engineering and transportation. It uses the Burr Truss Arch design, and the form notes that covered bridges were built in Columbia County to serve towns, farms, and saw and grist mills. The form states that such bridges have not been built in the county for the last half century, which it presents as making their design and engineering unique.
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 79003187, listed November 29, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | SR 405, Catawissa |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003187 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Peter Ent (builder) |
| Architectural style | Burr Truss Arch |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.95185, -76.44752 (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 79003187.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5881454
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.