Stillwater Covered Bridge No. 134
Why it's listed
Stillwater Covered Bridge No. 134 is a wooden covered bridge in Stillwater, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, measuring 151.1 feet long with a roadway 15.25 feet wide. It is built on the Burr Truss Arch principle, with seven diagonal braces on each side of each truss system. The roof is galvanized steel laid over thin slats that cross the rafters, and the walls are board and batten. A window pierces one wall where the road curves sharply, and one column slants inward to improve sightlines at that bend. The floor is herringbone without runways, and no steel beams were added to the deck or undergirding. One abutment has been rebuilt in concrete, while the others remain original stone and mortar. The bridge is significant for its engineering, as covered bridges of this design have not been built in Columbia County in the last half century. It also reflects the transportation needs of growing towns and the farm and mill businesses that relied on river crossings. Oak, pine and hemlock were the usual lumber for these bridges.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is significant for its engineering as a Burr Truss Arch covered bridge, a design type it says has not been built in Columbia County for the past half century. It also links the bridge to transportation needs during the rapid growth of towns and to farming and mill activity that depended on crossings.
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 79003177, 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 629, Stillwater |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | November 29, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003177 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | James McHenry (Foreman) John Edson |
| Architectural style | Burr Truss Arch |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.15189, -76.36050 (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 79003177.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7617286
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.