Plant's Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Plant's Covered Bridge is a wood kingpost truss bridge that carries a road across a branch of Wheeling Creek, known locally as Tompleton's Fork, in West Finley Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The structure has vertical siding and a tin-covered gable roof, with two window openings cut into each side wall. Its span is about 24 feet 6 inches, and its roadway is about 12 feet 10 inches wide. The bridge is part of a group of covered bridges in Washington and Greene Counties that were listed together. Its significance lies in how it represents vernacular wood bridge building in Pennsylvania, where covered bridges were once a common type. The form notes that the simplicity of its truss and certain local design features show how this construction method worked. Surviving examples in these two counties are unusually numerous for the state, which adds to their value as a group. The bridge remains in good condition and sits in a setting that suits its function.
Significance in brief: The nomination treats the bridge as an important example of vernacular wood bridge construction and of the covered bridge type, which was once common in Pennsylvania. The form notes that these bridges illustrate the type's construction technology in the simplicity of their truss types and certain local design features. It also says the number of surviving covered bridges in these two counties is comparatively high.
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 79002364, 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 Templeton Fork Creek, West Finley |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | June 22, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002364 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Kingpost truss covered bridge |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good in the survey listing; the bridge is noted as being in a functionally compatible setting. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.02106, -80.41598 (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 79002364.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7201455
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.