Buskirk Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that connects

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. The county is part of the Capital Dis ...

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 The Hoosic River, also known as the Hoosac, the Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed October 3, 2011 tr ...

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. Buskirk Bridge and Marker

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and Howe truss designs were patented by

Ithiel Town Ithiel Town (October 3, 1784 – June 13, 1844) was an American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the f ...

in 1820 and William Howe in 1840, respectively. 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.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. 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. It is one of four Washington County covered bridges that was submitted for listing in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in a multiple property submission. 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. The bridge continues in use for vehicles, and is maintained jointly by Washington County and Rensselaer County.

References

External links

Buskirk Bridge, at New York State Covered Bridge Society

{{Hudson River Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Bridges completed in 1850 National Register of Historic Places in Rensselaer County, New York Wooden bridges in New York (state) Bridges in Washington County, New York Tourist attractions in Washington County, New York Tourist attractions in Rensselaer County, New York Bridges in Rensselaer County, New York Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Howe truss bridges in the United States