Old Blenheim Bridge

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Blenheim Bridge
)
Old Blenheim Bridge
HAER photo in 2004
Coordinates42°28′23″N 74°26′28″W / 42.473°N 74.441°W / 42.473; -74.441
CarriedVehicles (1855–1936)
Pedestrians (1936–2011)
CrossedSchoharie Creek
LocaleNorth Blenheim, NY
Characteristics
Designdouble-barreled long truss with center arch covered bridge[1][2]
Total length232 ft 0 in (70.7 m)[3]
Width26 ft 3 in (8.0 m)[3]
Height30 feet (9.1 m)[3]
Longest span210 feet (64 m)[3]
History
DesignerNichols M. Powers[4][3]
Opened1855[1]
CollapsedAugust 28, 2011
Old Blenheim Bridge
Schoharie County
Built1854–1855
ArchitectNichols Montgomery Powers
NRHP reference No.66000570
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[5]
Designated NHLJanuary 29, 1964[6]
Removed from NRHPJuly 21, 2015
Delisted NHLJuly 21, 2015
Location
Map

Old Blenheim Bridge was a wooden

clear span.[1] The bridge, opened in 1855, was also one of the oldest of its type in the United States. It was destroyed by flooding resulting from Tropical Storm Irene
in 2011. Rebuilding of the bridge commenced in 2017 and was completed in 2018.

History

Nicholas Montgomery Powers

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1983.[6][7][8]

On August 28, 2011, record flooding along the Schoharie Creek, due to

Tropical Storm Irene, resulted in the bridge being washed away and completely destroyed.[9]

Longest bridge

Many sources simply claimed the Old Blenheim Bridge was the longest surviving single-span covered bridge, without getting into span length vs. total length. There are also sources that claim the

clear span
was originally 219 feet (67 m), according to this website.

A report by the

clear span of 210 feet (64 m) in the middle (1936 HABS drawings). In August 2003, measurements of post-repair Blenheim Bridge abutments were 209 feet 2 inches (63.75 m) on the upstream side, and 205 feet 6 inches (62.64 m) on the downstream side.[3]

Historically, the longest single-span covered bridge on record was Pennsylvania's

clear span of 360 feet (110 m) (built 1814–15, destroyed by ice jam 1817).[3]

Destruction

The bridge was destroyed on August 28, 2011, as a result of flooding from

Tropical Storm Irene
.

A witness saw its roof deposited onto a modern bridge just downstream, when the bridge was swept away at about 1 p.m. Over subsequent months, the Schoharie County Highway Department collected pieces of the bridge up to about 30 miles (48 km) downstream.[10]

On July 21, 2015, National Historic Landmark designation for the bridge was withdrawn and the property was delisted from the National Register of Historic Places.[11]

Replacement

A replacement for the bridge was built in 2017, exactly reproducing the design of the original. It was built to stand 15 feet (4.6 m) higher to avoid future floods.

Nova documentary TV series about the reconstruction.[16]

Gallery

  • Oblique view as photographed from up the hill on the eastern shore
    Oblique view as photographed from up the hill on the eastern shore
  • The span of the Old Blenheim Bridge as photographed 11 March 2008.
    The span of the Old Blenheim Bridge as photographed 11 March 2008.
  • Old Blenheim Bridge NYS Education Dept. Historical Marker (with bridge in background) as photographed 29 May 2009
    Old Blenheim Bridge NYS Education Dept. Historical Marker (with bridge in background) as photographed 29 May 2009
  • Registered National Historic Landmark Plaque
    Registered National Historic Landmark Plaque

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-471-14385-5
    .
  2. ^ "Blenheim Bridge". Covered Bridges of the Northeast USA.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Bennett, Lola (2002). "Blenheim Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  4. ^
    ISSN 1087-9889
    . Retrieved May 30, 2010. In 1837, the people of Pittsford, Vermont, contracted 19-year-old Nichols Powers to build a bridge over Otter Creek.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Blenheim Covered Bridge". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 18, 2007.
  7. ^ Dillon, James (1974). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Old Blenheim Bridge" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying Photos, from 1974 (642 KB)
  8. ^ "Old Blenheim Bridge Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Eckholm, Erik (August 31, 2011). "Covered Bridges, Beloved Remnants of Another Era, Were Casualties, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  10. Albany Times Union
    . Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  11. ^ "Withdrawn Designations: Old Blenheim Bridge". National Park Service.
  12. ^ Reischel, Julia (September 18, 2015). "The Blenheim Covered Bridge will rise again". Watershed Post. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  13. ^ Mitsopoulos, Patricia (June 29, 2016). "Blenheim Bridge Design Gets Approval". The Mountain Eagle. Columbia-Greene Media. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  14. ^ Fitzsimmons, Daniel (June 30, 2016). "New Blenheim Bridge nearing approval". The Daily Gazette. Schenectady, NY. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  15. ^ Old Blenheim with Old Blenheim Bridge Replacement
  16. ^ "Operation Bridge Rescue — NOVA | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Blenheim_Bridge&oldid=1191383277"