Danley Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning a branch of Wheeling Creek in West Finley Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, the Danley Covered Bridge is a wood structure with a queenpost truss, an end post length of 39 feet, and a road surface about 11 feet 10 inches wide. It has vertical board siding, a tin-covered gable roof, and cut stone abutments. The bridge is part of a group of covered bridges in Washington and Greene Counties that represent a once-common Pennsylvania bridge type. Its simple truss design and local features are regarded as typical of the rural wood-bridge construction the group illustrates. Few examples of this type survive in these counties, and the bridge is recorded in good condition. Its place in the group of related bridges is the main reason it was documented and listed.
Significance in brief: The nomination treats the group of covered bridges as important examples of vernacular wood bridge construction in Pennsylvania, where the type was once common. The bridges are described as illustrating local construction technology through the simplicity of their truss types and certain local design features. The document notes a comparatively high survival rate of these bridges in these rural counties.
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 79002362, listed June 22, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Spanning Robinson Fork Creek, West Finley |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | June 22, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002362 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is recorded as good, and the bridge is listed as a thematic resource within the multiple-property group. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.05515, -80.43937 (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 79002362.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5219985
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.