Kreigbaum Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Built in 1876 by George W. Keefer, the Kreigbaum Covered Bridge is a single-span timber truss structure over the South Branch of Roaring Creek east of Elysburg in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. It has a clear span of 52 feet between stone masonry abutments and a total length of 62 feet 1 inch. The roadway inside the structure is 13 feet 8 inches wide, and the floor is laid with transverse planks topped by longitudinal running boards. The bridge uses a queenpost truss, a design that is an enlarged kingpost with an additional longitudinal top chord and was suited to spans slightly longer than a kingpost could carry. It is one of seven covered bridges in the county recorded in a thematic group, which together show how 19th-century wood bridge building developed and how the county's road network was served. The bridge's structural type and its surviving construction are the basis for its recognition. The recorded load limit is 3 tons, and the bridge carries a vertical clearance of 11 feet 9 inches.
Significance in brief: The nomination treats the bridge as one of seven surviving covered bridges in Northumberland County that together illustrate 19th-century wood bridge technology and the development of transportation networks. It is valued as an example of the queenpost truss, a design used for spans somewhat longer than a kingpost could handle. The form is part of a thematic group nomination for the county's covered bridges.
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 79002316, listed August 8, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Elysburg on T 459, Ralpho/Cleveland Townships, Elysburg |
|---|---|
| County | Northumberland County |
| Listed | August 8, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002316 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1876 |
| Architect / builder | George W. Keefer (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Overall condition recorded as fair. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.84749, -76.50764 (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 79002316.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6436603
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.