Shoemaker Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Iola, in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, is home to the Shoemaker Covered Bridge, a 49-foot structure with a clearance of 10.9 feet. It uses a Queen Post design, with two diagonal beams on either side of a central iron tension rod, and one diagonal beam has been reinforced with a steel girder. Its board-and-batten side walls are unequal in length because the road curves sharply at the foot of a mountain, and the longer wall gives better sight lines. The stone and mortar abutments have been extensively repaired with concrete, and no steel beams have been added to the undergirding. The builder was T. S. Christian. The bridge is significant for engineering, as its Queen Post design belongs to a group of covered bridges in Columbia County that have not been matched by new construction in the last half century. It also reflects transportation needs in a growing area, where bridges connected towns with farms and mills.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is significant for its engineering, as one of the Queen Post covered bridges that remain in Columbia County, where covered bridges have not been built in the last half century. It also relates to transportation, since bridges were needed to link towns, farms, and saw and grist mills during growth in the area.
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 79003192, 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 19053, Iola |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003192 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | T. S. Christian (builder) |
| Architectural style | Queen Post truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.15140, -76.53603 (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 79003192.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7500031
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.