Gerloff Road Bridge Crossing Swamp Creek
Why it's listed
A three-span stone arch highway bridge crosses Swamp Creek in Upper Frederick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Each of its three segmental arches spans 20 feet, and long approach walls extend the structure to about 125 feet overall. A plaque on the bridge gives its construction date as 1854, though the nomination notes this date is marked with a question mark in the survey. The arch spans are set apart from the body of the bridge by a small built-in recession, which outlines a rectangle across both arch crowns. The nomination states that this detail appears to be peculiar to Montgomery County, where five stone arch bridges share it. The bridge is significant in engineering as a representative example of nineteenth-century stone masonry bridge construction in Pennsylvania. It was listed as part of a group of ten stone bridges in Montgomery County, built between 1789 and 1910. The south parapet, wingwalls and one pier have been reconstructed.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes it as a good example of a multiple-span nineteenth-century stone highway bridge. Its three segmental arches are set off from the body of the bridge by a recessed arch section, a feature said to appear to be peculiar to Montgomery County. The bridge is nominated as part of a group of stone bridges illustrating the continuing tradition of stone masonry bridge construction in Pennsylvania, and its significance is under the area of 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 88000838, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Gerloff Rd. over Swamp Creek, Lower Frederick Township |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000838 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Segmental stone arch bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | South parapet, wingwalls and pier reconstructed; use is vehicular. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.28626, -75.54371 (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 88000838.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4966381
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.