County Bridge No. 36
Why it's listed
Portland's bridge over Jacoby Creek is a concrete arch structure completed in 1907 and designed by the county engineer L. A. Francisco. Its main span measures 28 feet, and the overall bridge is 48 feet long. The builder was the Pasco Construction Co. The bridge is notable as the first reinforced concrete bridge in Northampton County, and it remains in vehicular use in the small downtown area of the borough. Its surfaces carry incised lines on the keystone, spandrel walls and continuous parapet, along with a molded belt course and coping. These details copy the form and decoration of earlier stone arches, even though the material itself was new for the period. The bridge is valued as an early concrete example that keeps nineteenth century bridge-building traditions visible in its design, and its engineering interest lies in that combination of old form and new material.
Significance in brief: The bridge is presented as a representative early twentieth century concrete arch bridge and is described as the first reinforced concrete bridge in Northampton County. Its short arch and incised ornamentation echo earlier stone bridge construction, while its concrete material points to a newer bridge type, which the nomination argues makes it an early example that retains nineteenth century bridge-building traditions.
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 88000877, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | TR 611 over Jacoby Creek, Portland |
|---|---|
| County | Northampton County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000877 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1907 |
| Architect / builder | L. A. Francisco (designer/engineer); Pasco Construction Co. (builder/contractor) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as unaltered and in use for vehicular traffic. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.91858, -75.09320 (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 88000877.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5177632
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.