Erb's Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Erb's Covered Bridge is a Burr truss structure carrying T634 across Hammer Creek north of Rothsville in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1887, the bridge spans 80 feet and is 15 feet wide. It has vertical board and batten siding, gable ends, and window openings at the eave level, and it rests on cut stone abutments. Its place in the county's covered bridge group is the main reason for listing. The nomination was prepared as part of a thematic study of covered bridges in Lancaster County, which examined the 19th-century wood frame construction types used across the county. Among the bridges considered, Erb's was judged a good candidate for its representation of those types. The trusses are described as being in good condition, and the bridge is one of the surviving examples of a regional building type that reflects local engineering practice in the late 1800s.
Significance in brief: The bridge is one of the covered bridges of Lancaster County considered under a multiple-property thematic nomination on covered bridges and their wood frame construction types in the 19th century. The document notes that it is in good condition, with good trusses, and that its abutments are cut stone.
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 80003536, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | N of Rothsville T 634, Ephrata/Warwick Townships, Rothsville |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003536 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Burr truss |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.16768, -76.24389 (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 80003536.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5385088
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.