003-5085 Covered Bridges NHL Context Study (MPD)

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

NRHP Listing Date 10/16/2012

NHL Listing Date 10/16/2012

This Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) Form facilitates the nomination to the registers of covered bridges, which are a pre-eminently American phenomenon. Nowhere else in the world were such impressive timber bridges attempted, and nowhere else were they built in such vast numbers. Over the course of two centuries, covered bridges have played a significant role in American life, by facilitating settlement, transportation, and commerce. They also represent a period of remarkable achievement in civil engineering, during which bridge building evolved from an empirical craft to a science. At the height of covered bridge building, around 1870, there were well over 10,000 covered bridges in the United States.

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

Updated: February 12, 2019