The Covered Bridges of Ulster County, New York - Rediscovered

 

October 25, 2013 Ulster County, NY - The covered bridges of Ulster county, New York are waiting to be discovered and rediscovered again. Some of these bridges have been tucked away for many decades on private land. However, one of the bridges is probably passed by thousands of times a day as drivers cruise northbound on the New York State Thruway.

The Perrine covered bridge can be seen crossing the Wallkill River from the northbound lanes of the New York State Thruway just 5 miles north of the New Paltz exit between mile markers 81 and 82. The Perrine covered bridge has stood in place long before the thruway existed. In fact, the bridge, built in 1844, was over 100 years old when the New York State Thruway was being built. In addition to being the oldest covered bridge in Ulster county, it is also the most accessable.

Two of the historic covered bridges within the county are all located on private land. Enthusiasts wanting to see The Forge or Ashokan/Turnwood covered bridges will need to obtain permission from the land owners.

The Tappen/Kittle and Grants Mills are the last two historic covered bridges located in the Ulster county town of Hardenburgh. These bridges can be visited without permission.

All of the historic covered bridges in Ulster county are listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the exception of the Tappan/Kittle bridge. The Ulster county bridge designs include Burr arch, kingpost and Town-lattice trusses.

Here is the link to the full story by Paula Mitchell that was featured in the October 27, 2013 edition of the Daily Freeman newspaper from Kingston, New York: Rediscovered Bridges.

Also, here is a link to a video by Paula Mitchell of the Daily Freeman that takes a tour of the covered bridges of Ulster county: Destinations: Ulster County's Covered Bridges.

David Guay, VCBS member and historian for the New York State Covered Bridge Society, contributed to this feature story by providing a historical perspective to the covered bridges of the Hudson Valley in New York.