Bridge in Williams Township
Why it's listed
Over Frey's Run in rural Williams Township, Northampton County, stands a small stone bridge dated to 1857 by PennDOT records and a bridge plate. It has three spans, with a 15-foot main arch and two 10-foot secondary arches, and a camelback profile typical of nineteenth-century highway bridges. The semi-circular arches are built of cut ashlar voussoirs and rubble masonry with pointed joints, and the rubble walls carry slate coping on the railings. Its piers appear to be set on islands in the stream. The bridge is significant for engineering. Its very short spans recall an earlier era of bridge building, when openings of this size were routine, and by the mid-nineteenth century longer spans had become the norm. Its piers have been underpinned with concrete blocks and repointed, which are recorded as alterations. The nominated area is a rectangle about 80 feet long and 25 feet wide, covering the superstructure and substructure, and is less than one acre.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is unusually small in its arch spans for a nineteenth-century highway bridge. Its semi-circular arches appear to rest on islands in the stream for their piers. The form is presented as a throwback to earlier bridge engineering, when spans this short were routinely built, before much longer spans became common by the mid-19th century.
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 88000855, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | LR 48007 over Frey's Run, Stouts |
|---|---|
| County | Northampton County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000855 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1857 |
| Architectural style | Camelback stone arch bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Piers underpinned with concrete blocks and joints repointed; the form lists the piers as altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.61092, -75.23119 (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 88000855.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4966392
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.