Parr's Mill Covered Bridge No. 10
Why it's listed
Parr's Mill Covered Bridge No. 10 is a timber covered bridge in Parr's Mill, Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It measures 84.25 feet long, with a roadway 12.2 feet wide and a clearance of 11 feet. It is built as a Burr truss arch, with four diagonal braces on each side of the central king post and an arch on each side of each truss system. The bridge is notable for its covering of German siding, which the document describes as one of the few bridges so finished. The roof is tarred metal panels over wooden ribbing and rafters, and the floor is laid in diagonal boards with two runways. No steel reinforcement was added to the deck or undergirding. Much of the original stone and mortar abutments remain. The bridge is significant for its engineering and for its role in linking towns with the farms and mills that drove the county's economy in the nineteenth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is significant for its engineering as a Burr truss arch covered bridge, with a rare German siding covering. It also relates to the county's transportation history, when bridges were needed to link towns with farming and saw and grist mills. The document describes the county's covered bridge designs as unique because none have been built there in the last half century.
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 79003189, listed November 29, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SR 371, Parr's Mill |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003189 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | F. L. Shuman (builder) |
| Architectural style | Burr Truss Arch |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.90640, -76.47265 (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 79003189.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7139709
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.