Riegel Covered Bridge No. 6
Why it's listed
Riegel Covered Bridge No. 6 is a wooden covered bridge near Catawissa in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, built by Jacob Kostenbauder. It measures 107.25 feet long, with a roadway 14.9 feet wide and 11 feet of clearance. It is a Burr truss arch with five diagonal braces on either side of a central king post, and a single arch on the inner side of each wall truss, a feature described as very unusual. The roof is tarred metal panels over wooden rafters and ribbing. Because the deck is trapezoidal, the portals are unique: one post sits flush with the portal while the other is set several feet inward, with awninged windows at either end of the shortened wall. The side walls are board and batten, and the deck has horizontal flooring with two runways. One abutment combines natural rock outcrop and concrete, and the other retains its original stone and mortar. The bridge is significant for its engineering and for its part in carrying travel between farms, saw mills and grist mills as local towns grew.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is significant for its engineering, as a Burr truss arch with an unusual single arch on the inner side of each wall truss, and for its role in transportation, linking farms, saw mills and grist mills during the growth of local towns. It also notes that covered bridges have not been built in Columbia County for about half a century, which makes the design and engineering of these structures unique there.
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 79003196, 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 312, Catawissa |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003196 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Jacob Kostenbauder (builder) |
| Architectural style | Burr Truss Arch |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.91227, -76.51339 (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 79003196.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7333087
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.