Perrine's Covered Bridge

The little dot on the google map app on my phone was in the right place so at least google maps had heard of Perrine's Covered Bridge! I knew the... more

by Joan Carroll

Title

Perrine's Covered Bridge

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

The little dot on the google map app on my phone was in the right place so at least google maps had heard of Perrine's Covered Bridge! I knew the bridge was located close to the NY State Thruway, so I didn't question google maps when it directed me onto the Thruway. However, when I passed over the Wallkill River, the app announced (in that triumphant voice) "You have arrived at your destination!" Never mind that I was on the Thruway going 70 mph with not an exit in sight! However, when I ventured a peek over the guardrail sure enough there it was, right under me! That's when the fun began. I was hoping that the next exit would be a mile or two away but it was more like 15 or 20 miles away! Then I was hoping there would be a frontage road along the Thruway but the exits are too far apart to warrant such a convenience. I had to figure some way to trick google maps into getting me there without taking me right back onto the Thruway, which it clearly wanted to do. Finally, I determined a road name I could use that I thought would do the trick. As I was meandering along the back roads, as disoriented as google maps, I happened to spy a road name that I recalled from the website and on a whim turned down that road. And there was the covered bridge not 100 yards down that road. I might still be wandering upstate NY if I kept following google maps! Perrine's bridge is either the oldest or the second oldest covered bridge in NY state, depending on the website you read. In May 1834 the State of New York authorized and provided $700 to Ulster county, NY (which invested $1500), to build the bridge which was completed in 1835. It is a burr arch truss design. The timber arch can be seen starting below the level of the roadbed on each side and cresting near the roof of the structure on the inside in the middle. The one-lane wooden covered bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since 1930. The Bridge derives its name from, a descendant of Daniel Perrin "The Huguenot", who was a tavern keeper that opened an inn on the east side of that future bridge in 1820. Perrine's son was hired each winter as the "snower". He would spread snow the length of the structure so horse-drawn sleighs could cross. It was declared as a New York Historical site in 1966 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places as of April 13, 1973 It has been restored many times, the last in 1997 at a cost of $195,000.

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November 10th, 2014

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