Buskirk Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that connects Washington County, New York on the north end to Rensselaer County on the south end and like the connecting roads and the fire station just south of it, is named after the hamlet on Rensselaer side at the junction of New York State Route 67. The bridge, which crosses the Hoosic River is one of 29 historic covered bridges in New York State. The bridge, service roads and hamlet all take their names from the local Van Buskirk family.[3]
Buskirk Covered Bridge | |
 Buskirk Bridge from the Rensselaer County side of the Hoosic River | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Buskirk, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°57′30″N 73°26′0″W / 42.95833°N 73.43333°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1850 |
| Architectural style | Howe truss |
| MPS | Covered Bridges of Washington County TR / Buskirk, Rexleigh, Eagleville, and Shushan Covered Bridges[2] |
| NRHP reference No. | 78003457[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 08, 1978 |
Town and Howe truss designs were patented by Ithiel Town in 1820 and William Howe in 1840, respectively.[2] The Buskirk Bridge a Howe truss design, and was built to replace a previous Burr arch truss. It is perhaps the earliest Howe truss bridge that survives in New York State.[4]
A topographic map of its location appears in its individual inventory document prepared by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 1977.[5]
It is one of four Washington County covered bridges submitted for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in a multiple property submission.[2] The others are the Rexleigh Bridge, the Eagleville Bridge, and Shushan Bridge. All four were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1972.[1]
The bridge continues in use for vehicles, and is maintained jointly by Washington County and Rensselaer County.
References
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- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c Raymond W. Smith (December 1977). "Covered Bridges of Washington County TR / Buskirk, Rexleigh, Eagleville, and Shushan Covered Bridges". National Park Service. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ^ University of the State of New York Bulletin. University of the State of New York. 1914. p. 51.
- ^ The MPS document at one point seems to contradict itself, saying the "Town truss type is represented...by the bridges at Buskirk and at Rexleigh" and also it "is the earliest Howe truss bridge surviving in New York State" (page 3), but elsewhere it is clear that the Buskirk and Rexleigh bridges are both of the Howe truss design.
- ^ Smith, R.W. (October 1977). "Building/Structure Inventory: Rexleigh Covered Bridge". Division of Historic Preservation, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
External links
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