Shearer's Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Shearer's Covered Bridge spans Chickies Creek within High School Memorial Park in Manheim Borough, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Built in 1856, it is a covered bridge of the Burr truss type, with a total end post length of 90 feet. Its exterior features harrow horizontal siding, rectangular windows, and triangular portals, and its abutments are cut stone. The bridge is closed to all traffic except pedestrians. It was reviewed as one of the covered bridges of Lancaster County, a group of nineteenth-century timber structures in the county that were assessed together for listing. The surviving abutments and trusses were judged to be in good condition, and the bridge is regarded as a representative example of the county's covered bridge tradition.
Significance in brief: The nomination lists the bridge as part of the Covered Bridges of Lancaster County multiple property submission. It is described as being in excellent condition, with harrow horizontal siding, cut stone abutments, rectangular windows and triangular portals. The document notes that the bridge is closed to all but foot traffic.
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 80003532, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | High School Memorial Park, Manheim |
|---|---|
| County | Lancaster County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003532 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to all but foot traffic; condition recorded as excellent. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.17206, -76.38995 (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 80003532.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7492187
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.