Trostletown Bridge
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
A covered timber bridge over Stony Creek in Quemahoning Township, about three-quarters of a mile southeast of Stoystown in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It is a multiple kingpost truss with a timber deck 104 feet long, a width of 12 feet 6 inches and a clearance of 11 feet 6 inches. The gable roof is covered with asbestos shingles, and the half-height vertical plank siding that once enclosed the sides is largely missing. The stated date of construction is 1845, and the builder is unknown. The bridge is owned by the Stoystown Lions Club and carries Township Route 647 across the creek. It is closed to vehicles, with no load posted. The bridge is part of a group of covered bridges in Somerset County, a county that retained several examples of kingpost, queenpost and Burr arch construction. The bridge is listed for its place within that surviving group of nineteenth-century timber crossings.
Significance in brief: The form lists the bridge as one of the covered bridges of Somerset County documented as a thematic group of kingpost, queenpost and Burr arch structures. It is nominated under the Covered Bridges of Somerset County multiple property submission. The available text gives little further argument for significance beyond its construction type and the county group it belongs to.
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 80003636, listed December 11, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Stoystown off US 30, Quemahonig Township, Stoystown |
|---|---|
| County | Somerset County |
| Listed | December 11, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003636 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Poor condition, with many vertical siding boards missing, woodrot in the bracing and worn deck planking; the bridge is closed to traffic. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.09603, -78.94521 (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 80003636.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7846313
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.