Nomination for Bowman Mill Covered Bridge

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVEDSEP 2 8 1977 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FEB 8 SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS AND/OR COMMON STREET & NUMBER NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY, TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT PRESENT USE X PUBLIC _WORK IN PROGRESS -PRIVATE RESIDENCE PUBLIC ACQUISITION IN PROCESS - YES: RESTRICTED GOVERNMENT _ SCIENTIFIC X YES: UNRESTRICTED X_TRANSPORTATION OWNER OF PROPERTY X VICINITY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC.

REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS DEPOSITORY FOR 039 1978 127 DATE BOTH COUNTY LOCATION TITLE CODE EDUCATIONAL ACCESSIBLE HISTORIC CLASSIFICATION OWNERSHIP STATE CATEGORY DISTRICT Perry County PARK SITE ENTERTAINMENT AGRICULTURE RELIGIOUS PRIVATE DATA SHEET Bowman Mill Covered Bridge STATUS Ohio FOR NPS USE ONLY New Lexington DATE ENTERED NAME SURVEY RECORDS Rush Creek Covered Bridge/ Readington Covered Bridge BUILDING(S) MILITARY XSTRUCTURE Clarence E. Miller Court House Perry 127 - INDUSTRIAL - COMMERCIAL _UNOCCUPIED _BEING CONSIDERED -OTHER: -_MUSEUM _OBJECT _FEDERAL STATE _COUNTY LOCAL (Rev. 10-74) County road 86 (Winegardner Road) PH050523 DESCRIPTION X ORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE_ DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

roofed window on each side, a metal roof, straight portals and cut-stone abut- 25" long and 20" high, have been cut into the siding on the northeast and south- layer, laid longitudinally except for a few boards at each end which are laid pier is undoubtedly a later addition and is also of stone laid with mortar. of the center pier, but we do not know when this was done. Because of the type construction used in this pier, we know it is not a recent addition. CONDITION UNEXPOSED EXCELLENT UNALTERED DETERIORATED XALTERED FAIR CHECK ONE The portals of the Bowman Mill Bridge are white with blue stars and the The Bowman Mill Covered Bridge has obviously been altered by the addition ments and pier.

member or kingpost is in tension and the diagonals are in compression.The transversely.The cut-stone abutments are laid with mortar and there is a usual kingpost with diagonal on each side as is found in most multiple king- multiple kingpost was used where a longer bridge was needed. covered bridges red, white and blue in honor of the nation's Bicentennial in Perry County's Parks Bridge.The multiple kingpost truss plan used in The structure under consideration is a two-span wooden truss covered bridge This pier is pointed on both sides to prevent debtis from piling up in high slightly arched, giving the bridge a pronounced camber or humpback appear- this bridge was the plan most commonly used here in Ohio for wooden truss a6 panel multiple kingpost truss with an open center panel instead of the spanning Rush Creek on Winegardner Road (CR 86) in Reading Township section County, Ohio.

This covered bridge has vertical, high-boarded siding with a concrete reinforcement on the north side of the west abutment.The center dates 1776-l976.This bridge is well-maintained and seems adequate for ance.The trusses are tapered and notched into the upper chords as was done bridge was kept painted a deep "covered bridge red" with white trim on the 13/i8, one mile south of New reading and three miles west of Somerset, Perry the light traffic it carries. XGOOD -RUINS of 71'.The bridge is l7'wide overall with a roadway width ofll'6" and of auto traffic for better vision of oncoming traffic.

The floor is in one portals, but in the fall of 1975 the county repainted all their public DATE bridges.Itevolved from the simple kingpost where the vertical truss metal and the vertical siding is of random width boards.Roofed windows, about water.The trusses of this bridge are fastened together with trunnels and Pictures taken in the l930's clearly show this pier.In recent years, this bolts.These trusses vary in size from 6x 8# to 8x8#.The top chords are 2-8" x 8"and the lower chords are 2-7#x 12" timbers.T AREAS OF

Statement of significance

Bridge, was an important part of the transportation system of this area when the 1600-1699 1500-1599 1700-1799 Historical INVENTION EDUCATION ART BUILDER/ARCHITECT COMMERCE RELIGION 1900- PHILOSOPHY SCIENCE SCULPTURE ARCHITECTURE XTRANSPORTATION PREHISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT THEATER AGRICULTURE LITERATURE MILITARY X_ENGINEERING MUSIC Engineering Department. INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _CONSERVATION also referred to as the Rush Creek or Readington Bridge.The name Bowman comes SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN about that time.

PERIOD -1400-1499 the fall of l975 under the supervision of George W.Jones of the Perry County center in the l9th century.According to the record books of the Southern Ohio from the family who operated the grist and saw mills on the banks of Rush Creek with blue stars and the dates 1776-l976 on each portal.This work was done in _ECONOMICS old Somerset Village, first county seat of Perry County.

SPECIFIC DATES /O _COMMUNITY PLANNING Covered Bridge Association, this is known as the Bowman Mill Bridge, but it is This covered bridge, variously known as the Bowman Mill, Rush Creek or Readington LAW ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC in daily use and still important in both a historic and practical way to the mills were flourishing over one hundred years ago.The old structure is still The Bowman Mill Covered Bridge crosses Rush Creek at what was once a busy milling a one-span bridge originally with the center pier added later.The bridge is now to the Southern Ohio Covered Bridge Association.The building date is unknown Bowman Mill Covered Bridge is one of several here in Ohio with arched chords but was probably about 1880 as the other Perry County covered bridges were built just to the north of the covered bridge.The 1875 Perry County Atlas shows that 1800-1899 painted an eye-catching red, white and blue in honor of our nation's Bicentennial lived to the north in section l2.There was also a cider mill to the west of people who live nearby.The bridge is located just three miles west of historic 9

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES p. 128. County, Ohio.

10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES 11 FORM PREPARED BY NAME/ TITLE November 22, 1976 STREET & NUMBER CITY OR TOWN 12 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION NATIONAL - LOCAL - As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665),1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 892-453 ORGANIZATION CODE 470 DATE Columbus STATE NORTHING ZONE TELEPHONE Spanning Winegardner Rd., Ohio 43204 Ohio Covered Bridge Committee ATTEST: UTM REFERENCES 3155 Whitehead Road ZONE EASTING Record Books of the Southern Ohio Covered Bridge Association, Inco, Volume 6, Perry 611-279-9576 County Road 86,as it crosses Little Rush Creek 14,410.610,2,0 Allen, Richard S-, Covered Bridges of the Middle West, Stephan Greene Press, 1970, p-47.

Ketcham, Bryan Ee, Covered Bridges on the Byways of Ohio, Oxford Printing Company, 1969, ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY Less than one Miriam F. Wood THE EVALUATED OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: KEERER OE THE NATIONAL REGISTER 1318314901 Photos _ Inventory _ Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF National Register Write-up Re-submit - OTHER KEEPER CONTROL ARCHEOLOGIST TECHNICAL HAER Send-back Maps HISTORIAN Property State Federal Register Entry BRANCH CHIEF 44.78 1.5.78 ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN -FEB 8 Entered INT:2106-74 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WAso No.7 Perry 78002169 2.7.78 accept BRIDGE TONS LOAD LIMIT 1976 Perry County, Ohio SEP 2 8 1977 FEB 8 1978 Three miles west of Somerset, Bowman Mill Covered Bridge West portal, south side of CR 86 Rush Creek Reading Twp. (Rush Cr.

or Readington Bridge) Photo by Miriam Wood October 1976 bridge, looking northeast. TONS BRIDGE LOAD FEB 8 1978 1o0king southwest. East portal, north side of b ridge Bowman Mill Covered Bridge October 1976 PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER Three miles west of Somerset, Perry County, Ohio (Rush gr. or Readington Bridge) Photo by Miriam DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE OF OHIO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SOMERSET QUADRANGLE UNITED STATES 7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC) SOMERSET, OHIO Hon. John H. Glean, Jr. Dr. Thomas I. Smith Ion. Clarence E. Miller 880 2/22/78 STATE Name Mott/js Date Entered Location Washington County Perry County ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL PIGISTER Also Notified Regional Director, Midwest Region Marietta vicinity Hildreth Covered Bridge Hon. Howard M.

Metzenbaum Fitz Randolph-Rogers House Hamilton vicinity Director, The Ohio Hlstorlcal Society Butler Coumty New Reading vieinity State Historic Presarvation Officer OHIO Coluabus, Ohio 43211 Hon. Thomas N.

Kindness 4) county code: S LOCATION street & number city / town * STATE 12)SOURCE of NOMINATION O deteriorated Oaltered Oruins EO NOT INTACT-O - Unknown Ounexcavated - No Access AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE : - LANDSCAPE ARCH.- 15 - POLITICS/ GOVT.* 21 - RECREATION -28 COCLAIMS: explain 'first'O C LAW - 16 - RELIGION- 22 C SETTLEMENT-29 CARCHEOLOGY-historic-1 - COMMUNICATIONS -7 - LITERATURE -17 - SCIENCE- 23 DURBAN PLANNING-31 'oldest' O D AGRICULTURE -3 - CONSERVATION - 8 C HEALTH-27 - MILITARY - 18 C SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN-24 LJ OTHER (SPECIFY) - ARCHITECTURE-4 - ECONOMICS- 9 C INDUSTRY- 13 - MUSIC - 19 - SOCIAL / CULTURAL - 30 'only' D - ART-5 - EDUCATION-10 C INVENTION - 14 PHILOSOPHY - 20 C TRANSPORTATION -25 33 functions ()dates of initial construction: 1 interior decorator: EVENTS : IIF ADDITIONAL SPACE NEEDED, NUMBER & PUT ON REVERSE 127 Perry CONDITION Covered Bridge PH0505234 PERSONAL: ASSOCIATION INSTITUTIONAL: ENTERTAINMENT-26 builder/contractor: FEDERAL PRIVATE ORGANIZATION historic events: major alterations: vicinity of CURRENTLY: date New Reading WHEN HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT: LOCAL SUBSTANTIALLY INTACT-1 Dfair landscape architect/ garden designer: ENGINEERING-11 Dunexposed NATIONAL REGISTER WRITE-UP ADMINISTRATOR: NATIONAL REGISTER DATA SHEET 6architectural style(s): Bowman Mill Covered Bridge Dexcellent Doriginal site Dfeatures: ONAME as it appears on federal register: @ OTHER NAMES: 3) date of entry: 1 mi.

S of New Reading on SR 11)CONGRESS. DISTRICT ZO NOT APPLICABLE - 9 CARCHEOLOGY - prehistoric-2 - COMMERCE-6 -EXPLORATION -12 @artisan: SAVED? YES @architeot: ETHNIC GROUP engineer: 10th artist: master builder: reviewers initials Ounknown give role & date if state who prepared form? IS PROPERTY A HISTORIC DISTRICT?Oyesno Dmoved Dgood