Kidd's Mills Covered Bridge Historic District
Why it's listed
Spanning the Shenango River in Pymatuning Township near Greenville, the Kidd's Mills Covered Bridge was built in 1868 to replace a span destroyed by a flood in February 1867. Rural craftsmen assembled it with fitted joints and hand-hewn timbers, held together by wooden pins and wedges, and its stone abutments support a crossing of 120 feet. The bridge carries an old county road linking State Routes 18 and 58. It is the only covered bridge in Mercer County and, according to the nomination, the only surviving example in the eastern United States of the Smith Cross Truss, patented in 1867 by Robert Smith of Tippecanoe City, Ohio. It was designated a county historical landmark in 1963. Local advocates, including township supervisors and county commissioners, campaigned to save it. Two grist mills once stood on opposite banks of the river; little is recorded about them beyond family accounts linking one to Robert D. Kidd around 1870.
Significance in brief: The bridge is described as the only covered bridge in Mercer County and the only remaining example in the eastern United States of a Smith Cross Truss, a type patented in 1867. It has stood since 1868 and is one of about 200 remaining covered bridges in Pennsylvania. It was designated a county historical landmark in 1963.
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 74001793, listed December 2, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5 mi. S of Greenville off PA 58, Greenville |
|---|---|
| County | Mercer County |
| Listed | December 2, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001793 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The bridge has been preserved and recently taken over by the Greenville Historical Commission, the Mercer County Historical Society and the Mercer County Commissioners; the Commissioners spent $3,000 in 1965 on minor repairs. |
| Acreage | 33 |
| Coordinates | 41.35425, -80.39634 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 74001793.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6404608
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.