Covered Bridges NHL Context Study

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Rev. 08-2002) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting multiple property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (National Register Bulletin 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information. For additional space, use continuation sheets (Form 10-900-a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer to complete all items. X New Submission Amended Submission ======================================================================================= A. Name of Multiple Property Listing ======================================================================================= COVERED BRIDGES NHL CONTEXT STUDY ======================================================================================= B. Associated Historic Contexts ======================================================================================= ======================================================================================= C. Form Prepared by ======================================================================================= name/title Lola Bennett, Historian organization Heritage Documentation Programs, National Park Service address 1201 I Street NW, 7th Floor city/town Washington state DC zip code 20005 ======================================================================================= D. Certification ======================================================================================= As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60 and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. (See continuation sheet for additional comments.) ____________________________________________ _________________________________ Signature and Title of Certifying Official Date ____________________________________________ _________________________________ State or Federal Agency or Tribal Government Date I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. ____________________________________________ _________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Rev. 08-2002) COVERED BRIDGES NHL CONTEXT STUDY Page 2 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Provide the following information on continuation sheets. Cite the letter and the title before each section of the narrative. Assign page numbers according to the instructions for continuation sheets in How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (National Register Bulletin 16B). Fill in page numbers for each section in the space below. Page Number E. Statement of Historic Contexts 3 F. Associated Property Types 28 G. Geographical Data 31 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods 32 Covered Bridges Proposed for National Historic Landmark Consideration 35 I. Major Bibliographical References 42 =============================================================================== Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.). A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 120 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, 1849 C St., NW, Washington, DC 20240. NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Rev. 08-2002) COVERED BRIDGES NHL CONTEXT STUDY Page 3 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form E. STATEMENT OF HISTORIC CONTEXTS Covered bridges 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.1 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.2 Timber bridges have been built in forested regions of the world for centuries.3 Wood is an excellent material for building; it is strong, relatively lightweight, and easy to work with. Since most species of wood suitable for structural applications deteriorate rapidly when exposed to the weather, bridge builders quickly learned the value of covering wood bridges with roofs and siding to protect the underlying framework.4 Several European covered bridges have survived for more than three centuries, while a few in the United States are nearing the two-century mark.5 Following the American Revolutionary War, the demand for roads and bridges, coupled with access to abundant forests, spurred the independent development of timber bridge design in the United States.6 In 1805, America's first known covered bridge was completed across the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia. By 1810, there were covered bridges at most major river crossings in the Northeast. From Philadelphia, covered bridge building spread northward, southward, and westward at a rapid pace. The construction of timber bridges utilized readily available materials and common hand tools. Skilled carpenters could erect an average-sized covered bridge within a few weeks. By 1850, there were covered bridges in most settled regions of the United States. The golden era of covered bridge building lasted about a century in most areas of United States, and even longer in areas where timber was plentiful.7 In the late-nineteenth century, timber truss bridges were eclipsed by comparable spans of iron. Railroads enabled manufacturers to ship prefabricated metal bridges to distant markets and compete with local builders for contracts. The last decade of the nineteenth century saw the rise of the Good Roads Movement and growing demand for modern bridges, a trend that gained momentum with the advent of the automobile. In the face of the technological and industrial advances of the first decades of the 1900s, covered bridges, now traversed by motorized vehicles or glimpsed from modern highways, generated powerful 1 American scholars have recently become aware of hundreds of ancient covered bridges in China; however, most of these bridges were built for pedestrian use and their construction techniques and reason for covering differ from the Western tradition. 2 This is only a rough estimate of known covered bridges that existed c.1870. Initial data compiled by the “Covered Spans of Yesteryear Project,” http://www.lostbridges.org, suggests that this figure may be too low. 3 In 55 BC, Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC) built the world’s first major timber bridge across the Rhine River near present-day Koblenz, Germany. 4 It is believed that this practice originated in Switzerland. 5 Hyde Hall Bridge (1825) is believed to be the oldest covered bridge in the United States. See HAER No. NY-330, Hyde Hall Bridge, Otsego County, New York. 6 While it is likely that American builders were aware of covered bridges in Europe, there is very little documentation to suggest a direct transfer of knowledge from Europe to America. 7 Covered bridge building persisted longer in different regions. For example, it ended in New England around 1920, in the Midwest around 1925, and in the South around 1935. Covered bridges continued to be built in Oregon into the 1950s. NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Rev. 08-2002) COVERED BRIDGES NHL CONTEXT STUDY Page 4 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form feelings of nostalgia for many Americans. In the 1930s, covered bridges emerged in popular culture. During this period, antiquarians and hobbyists also set out to visit, photograph, and gather information about those structures that survived. Collecting images and information about these historic structures led to the formation of covered bridge societies in the 1940s. As this movement gained momentum in the 1950s and 60s, local and state officials began to promote covered bridges as tourist attractions to boost their local economies.

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