New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Bridges

Covered Bridges: An Introduction

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The Rulong Covered Bridge in China's Zhejiang ProvinceCovered bridges are known to have existed in China for over 2,000 years according to archaeological evidence. The current numbers in China are unknown, but it is believed there are over 3,000.

Chinese wooden bridges do not use truss designs like North American and European ones. Most in China are built on masonry bases of stone or brick. Many are constructed with a “woven-arch” design which has a collection of interlocking timbers to support the structure. [Read more…] about Covered Bridges: An Introduction

‘Greenway Trails For A Green Future’ Bills Introduced In State Legislature

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New York State CapitolOn Thursday, New York State Assemblymember Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) introduced a package of legislation known as the “Greenway Trails For A Green Future” aimed at modernizing New York’s greenway and multi-use trail system, while improving cyclist and pedestrian safety and growing the tourism and outdoor recreation industries.

Senator Pete Harckham (D-Peekskill) and Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Dutchess/Columbia) are also sponsoring a bill included in the package. [Read more…] about ‘Greenway Trails For A Green Future’ Bills Introduced In State Legislature

The Bridging of Early America: Bridge Builders and Forgotten Timber Spans

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Theodore Burr and the Bridging of Early America The Man, Fellow Bridge Builders, and Their Forgotten Timber SpansTheodore Burr (1771-1822) was the most prominent of America’s three early nineteenth century timber bridge-building pioneers, the others being Timothy Palmer (1751-1821) and Lewis Wernwag (1769-1843). All three built long-span timber bridges in the Northeast.

A transplant from Connecticut, Theodore Burr moved to Oxford, Chenango County, New York in 1792-1793. In less than thirty years, he erected timber bridges over major rivers – the Hudson, Schoharie, Mohawk, Delaware, Potomac, and Susquehanna – in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, District of Columbia, and Maryland. [Read more…] about The Bridging of Early America: Bridge Builders and Forgotten Timber Spans

Genesee Valley Park & The Barge Canal: Roman Arches Over Indian Rivers

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a Real Picture Post Card view of pedestrian bridge spanning the NYS Barge Canal in Genesee Valley Park Rochester, New YorkThe partnership of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux pioneered American landscape architecture. Their work in Manhattan’s Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Boston’s Franklin Park set new standards for outdoor spaces which some Upstate New York cities such as Buffalo sought to emulate, albeit on a reduced scale. [Read more…] about Genesee Valley Park & The Barge Canal: Roman Arches Over Indian Rivers

Railroad Records at the National Archives: A Primer

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At a loading platform at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, an old engine pulls a train from New York which will connect with the Southwest Limited which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles, June 1974The National Archives’ Cartographic Branch contains more than 69 record groups and 215 series that include maps, architectural and engineering drawings, and aerial photographs that all relate to railroads in the United States, with widespread coverage of regions all over the world. The dates of these records range from 1828 to 2009, with the bulk of records covering other countries and regions from the early to mid 20th century. [Read more…] about Railroad Records at the National Archives: A Primer

A Bridge at Vischer Ferry: Some Clifton Park History

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Vischer Ferry Bridge ca 1900Before the Northway was built, travelers would gain access to Clifton Park from the south by crossing the Mohawk River at either the Route 9 bridge to Crescent, or the Route 146 bridge to Rexford.  These bridges existed since the early nineteenth century.  Between these two bridges there were three ferries: Dunsbach Ferry, Forts Ferry and Vischer Ferry.  The most logical place for another bridge was at Vischer Ferry.  This would provide direct access into the heart of Clifton Park. [Read more…] about A Bridge at Vischer Ferry: Some Clifton Park History

Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

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Twin Bridges I-87 NorthwaySince it opened to traffic on April 11, 1960, millions of vehicles traveling the I-87 Northway have passed over the Mohawk River on what they think are called on “The Twin Bridges.” That bridge however, is really named for a Polish-American hero of the American Revolution – Taddeus Kosciusko. [Read more…] about Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

Albany’s Squire Whipple: Father of the Iron Truss Bridge

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Squire WhippleSquire Whipple was born in Hartwick, Massachusetts on September 16th, 1804. His parents were James and Electa Whipple. Born and raised on a farm, he attended a small country school for three or four months a year. He moved to New York in 1817.

By the age of seventeen, he passed the required examination for common school teaching and taught part time to finance his education. In 1822-1828 he attended Hartwick College in Otsego County; Fairfield Academy in Herkimer County; and graduated from Union College, Schenectady in 1830. He spent the next few years working as a surveyor for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and married Anna Case. [Read more…] about Albany’s Squire Whipple: Father of the Iron Truss Bridge

“Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks”: Building the Adirondack Railroad

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Gainesville Midland track maintenance crew, CA 1890The St. Lawrence & Adirondack Railroad, also known as the Mohawk & Malone – eventually owned by the New York Central and called the Adirondack Line or the Adirondack Railroad ran directly through the Adirondacks from Herkimer (near Utica) to Malone connecting the rail lines along the Mohawk River to the Main Trunk Line running into Montreal. The line is often attributed to William Seward Webb, but it was the men who actually built the line that are the subject of this essay.

On March 29, 1892 a Boston Globe article titled “Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks” reported that Utica “resembled Washington during war times, hundreds of penniless and destitute Negroes are camped out tonight in the temporary places of shelter given them, and the citizens of Utica are consulting as to the best means of returning them to their homes.”

The Globe told readers that all night, “runaway slaves” had been coming into town. One hundred and fifty of them, mostly black laborers from the Deep South, but some recently arrived European immigrants as well. [Read more…] about “Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks”: Building the Adirondack Railroad