County Bridge No. 54
Why it's listed
Three stone arches span Wissahickon Creek on Morris Road in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Two stone plaques on the parapets record construction in 1841 and rebuilding in 1916. Each arch spans about twenty-eight and a half feet, and the arch sections are set apart from the rest of the bridge body by a small recessed band that runs across both arch crowns. The bridge is regarded as a typical nineteenth-century stone highway bridge that was partly rebuilt in the twentieth century. Its recessed arch treatment is considered distinctive to Montgomery County, where five stone arch bridges are built in the same way. The bridge is significant for its engineering and for its place in a group of ten Montgomery County stone bridges, built between 1789 and 1910, that illustrate the continuing tradition of stone masonry construction in Pennsylvania. The nominated area is a rectangle about 125 feet long and 25 feet wide, covering the superstructure and substructure.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is a typical nineteenth-century stone highway bridge, partly rebuilt in the twentieth century. Its arch spans are set off from the bridge body by a built-in recession, a feature the nomination says appears peculiar to Montgomery County, where five stone arch bridges share it. Grouped with the other stone bridges in the nomination, it illustrates the continuing tradition of stone masonry construction in Pennsylvania. The area of significance is 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 88000837, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | Morris Rd. over branch of Wissahickon Creek, Prospectville |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000837 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.13967, -75.21655 (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 88000837.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5177633
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.