Skippack Bridge
Also known as: Bridge #142,Montgomery County
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Why it's listed
Built in 1792 across Skippack Creek on Germantown Pike in Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, this bridge is a 267-foot structure of eight arches, thirty-three feet wide. Its faced cut stone was quarried locally, and the walls on either side of the roadway rise four and a half feet above the deck. The original date stone names Mathew Potts, John Mann and Conrad Boyer, and a second stone from the 1874 repair names John Steeven, one of the commissioners. The site was chosen in 1792 by a six-man jury after no better crossing could be found to serve both the Manatawny Road and the Norristown Road. Funding came in part from a 1762 lottery. The bridge is valued for its engineering and masonry: it is regarded as an outstandingly handsome example of eighteenth-century work and is said to be among the ten oldest spans in the United States, predating the Perkiomen Bridge by seven years. It has carried traffic continuously since completion.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is an outstandingly handsome example of eighteenth-century engineering and masonry, and the most ambitious architectural and engineering project among sites in the proposed flood area. It is said to predate the Perkiomen Bridge at Collegeville by seven years and to be among the ten oldest spans in the United States.
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 70000551, listed December 2, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Evansburg on PA 422, Evansburg |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | December 2, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000551 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1792 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The bridge has carried traffic since its completion in 1792; it was repaired in 1874 without changing its original proportions or design. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Evansburg Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.18046, -75.42177 (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 70000551.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7535777
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.