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Buskirk, Rensselaer County

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Inventory Number: NY/32-42-02#2 / NY-58-04#2
County: Rensselaer County / Washington County
Township: Hoosick - Cambridge
Town/Village: Buskirk - Buskirk
Bridge Name: Buskirk
Crosses: Hoosic River
Truss type: Howe
Spans: 1
Length: 164'
Roadway Width: 16'-4" Clear; 22'-4" Out-to-Out
Built: 2005
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N42 57.496
Longitude: W073 25.990
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: On Route 103 0.3 miles north of its jct with Route 67 at Buskirk.

Buskirk Bridge, Cambridge-Hoosick, Rensselaer County, NY Built 2005
Bill Caswell Photo, December 31, 2006

Buskirk Bridge, Cambridge-Hoosick, Rensselaer County, NY, after Hurricane Irene
Dave & Marikka Guay Photo, August 29, 2011

Comments:
The Buskirk Covered Bridge is the only inter-county covered bridge in New York State, joining Rensselaer and Washington Counties. It was originally built by Peter Osterhauth, Charles Newman,James Roberts and Charles Ingalls in 1857. Martin van Buskirk and his brothers were Revolutionary War veterans. Legend has it that the van Buskirk families were ferrymen prior to 1804. When Martin married one of Stephen Rensselaer’s daughters he benefited from her considerable dowry, which included 1,800 acres of land on both sides of the Hoosic River. In 1804, this location was deemed suitable for the construction of mid-channel piers for the support of a multiple-span log bridge. A more sophisticated bridge was built in1812, possibly a single-span open timber truss. The present bridge at Buskirk was originally commissioned to be built by the towns of Cambridge and Hoosick. Construction began after July 21, 1857 and was completed before November 14, 1857 − about 3½ months. Extensive damage was caused by a flood in 1880. During the flood of 1927, which swept away many covered bridges in the area, there was two feet of water over the floor of the Buskirk Covered Bridge. In 1959, ice pushing against the bridge caused it to bow more than a foot in the middle. Ice again damaged the bridge in 1976. After a damaging flood in May that same year the bridge was raised two more feet. The posted load rating has been as low as 1½ tons (1930) and as high as 6 tons (1960). At the time it was closed in August of 2002, it was posted for 3 tons. In 2004-2005, the Buskirk Covered Bridge experienced a complete rehabilitation. On August 4, 2007, Washington County hosted a celebration of the newly rehabilitated Buskirk, Eagleville and Rexleigh Covered Bridges. Washington County is to be commended for its efforts in preserving their covered bridges. Excerpted from The Covered Bridges of Washington County, New York by Robert G. McIntosh.

Source:
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 57

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