Cambridge Springs Bridge
Why it's listed
Built in 1896 by the Youngstown Bridge Company, this 200-foot pin-connected Baltimore through truss carries vehicle traffic across French Creek at Cambridge Springs in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Its superstructure is steel, fabricated in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and its wing walls are stone with concrete abutments. The bridge has a cantilevered sidewalk on its upstream side and a simple ornamented hand railing with a diamond pattern. Its truss members were reinforced in 1948 and its floor system in 1973, changes that the nomination treats as alterations. The nomination regards the bridge as a typical example of the Baltimore truss type, one of three representative examples included in the group nomination. It is considered well preserved and fairly rare for this type. Its listing rests on its engineering value as a representative surviving example of a Baltimore truss from the late nineteenth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes the bridge as a typical example of a Baltimore truss and one of only three representative examples of this type in the group nomination. It is described as a well preserved and fairly rare example of its type, with a bridge plate and simple decorative railing. The significance is placed in engineering.
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 88000824, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | LR 84 spur B over French Creek, Cambridge Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000824 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1896 |
| Architect / builder | Youngstown Bridge Company (builder/contractor) |
| Architectural style | Baltimore truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered: some truss members reinforced in 1948 and the floor system reinforced in 1973. Vehicular use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.80651, -80.06118 (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 88000824.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5025537
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.