Snyder Covered Bridge No. 17
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Snyder Covered Bridge No. 17 crosses a stream at Slabtown in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, and is built in the Queen Post truss design. It measures 60.2 feet long, has a roadway width of 14.75 feet, and offers 11 feet of clearance. Its roof is corrugated galvanized steel laid over wooden ribs that cross the rafters, and its floor is of horizontal boards with one wide runway on top. Oak, pine or hemlock was generally the lumber used for bridges of this type. The bridge is significant for its engineering. Queen Post trusses were used in Columbia County for longer spans, and the county's covered bridges are regarded as unique in design because none have been built there in the last half century. It also reflects transportation history, since bridges such as this connected towns with the farms and saw and grist mills that drove local business during the county's growth. The southwestern portal was destroyed by an oversized vehicle, and the abutments have been fully rebuilt in concrete.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is significant for its engineering as a Queen Post covered bridge, a design used in Columbia County for longer spans. It also relates to transportation, since bridges were needed to link towns with farming and milling activities during the county's growth. The document notes that covered bridges have not been built in Columbia County in the last half century, making the county's designs 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 79003188, 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 361, Slabtown |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003188 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Queen Post truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The southwestern portal was destroyed by an oversized vehicle, and the abutments have been completely repaired with concrete. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.90134, -76.39441 (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 79003188.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7548891
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.