Watsontown River Bridge
Why it's listed
Built in 1927 over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, the bridge carries a road between Watsontown and Milton in Northumberland County. It has nine concrete arches and a total length of 1,080 feet, with a main span of 120 feet and eight secondary spans of the same length. Designed by James B. Long and built by George W. Rockwell, it is an open-spandrel arch bridge with ornamental piers and light towers. Its solid barrel arches, in place of the individual ribs found on similar bridges, set it apart from the other long-span bridges of its type in the group. Its engineering design gives it its importance, and the structure is recorded as largely unaltered from its original appearance.
Significance in brief: The nomination describes it as an unusual example of a long, multiple-span open-spandrel arch bridge. Its nine arches are solid barrels rather than individual arch ribs, which the nomination says makes it the only such bridge among those in the group. It is significant in 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 88000801, 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 240 spur over W branch of Susquehanna River, Watsontown |
|---|---|
| County | Northumberland County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000801 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | James B. Long (designer/engineer); George W. Rockwell (builder/contractor) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.08096, -76.86510 (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 88000801.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7974895
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.