For many covered bridge enthusiasts, the Empire State was the place to be during the summer of 2002 with several covered bridge events taking place. Here are some highlights.

Delaware County

Fitch's.Notecard Photo by Bob & Trish Kane July 20, 2002

Fitch's Covered Bridge - NY 32-13-02 Saturday - July 20, 2002. The "Second Cutting" celebration of the rehabilitated Fitch's Covered Bridge was a huge success with approximately 500 guests in attendance. A beautiful summer day only added to the excitement. The State and National Register of Historic Places certificate was presented to Town Supervisor, Gary Manning during the ceremony and the beautiful historic marker was unveiled. Following the celebration and parade, the Delaware County Historical Association hosted a wonderful reception for those in attendance. Delaware County, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works, Phil Pierce, was on hand to answer questions about the rehabilitation of the Fitch's bridge.

Saratoga County

Marie Penino speaks at Copeland Bridge Dedication Photo by Bob & Trish Kane July 20, 2002

Copeland Covered Bridge the Day of the Re- dedication Photo by Bob & Trish Kane July 20, 2002

Copeland Covered Bridge - NY 32-46-01 The re-dedication of this bridge was held on June 29, with approximately 250 covered bridge enthusiasts in attendance. The landscaping is beautiful and the bridge looks fantastic. Many thanks to Ryan-Biggs Associates for their assistance in this endeavor, and to the folks of Edinburg for their wonderful support. A beautiful plaque commemorating the various donors to the Buy A Share of History Campaign is prominently displayed near the parking area. We were honored to be able to present Marie Penino, President of the Edinburg Historical Society, with the State and National Register of Historic Places certificate during the event. If you haven't seen the Copeland Covered Bridge recently, it is well worth the trip. It looks fabulous! The Edinburg Historical Society also has a new website where you can see a great, 1925 photo of the bridge. www.edinburg-hist-soc.org

Both festivities were not only historic events for New York, but for the entire covered bridge community.

Rensselaer/Washington Counties

Buskirk Covered Bridge - NY 32-42-02/58-04 Buskirk Covered Bridge NY 32-42-02/58-04 As of August 14, 2002, the Buskirk Covered Bridge was closed to traffic in preparation for some much needed repairs. A severe structural defect was discovered in one of the beams that supports the bridge during a routine annual inspection of the bridge. At that time, Washington County engineers decided to close the bridge until repairs could be made.

Ulster County

Ashokan/Turnwood Covered Bridge - NY 32-56-05 After two years of e-mails and phone calls, we were finally fortunate to meet Andy Angstrom, Director of the SUNY Ashokan Field Campus. On June 22, 2002 we presented him with the certificate indicating that the Ashokan/TurnwoodCovered Bridge had been placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Andy informed of us some exciting plans for the Gazebo that overlooks the bridge.

Salisbury Center Covered Bridge - NY 32-22-01 Good news! This sturdy little bridge will soon be stronger thanks to a $153,500 grant from the federal government to rehabilitate this historic structure. Plans include installing steel beams to the understructure of the bridge. New mortar will be placed in the gaps between the stones that line the banks to reinforce the bridges' base. The steel roof will be replaced with steel, copper or shingles. And finally, the bridge will be sprayed with a fire retardant. According to George Robertaccio, the bridge management engineer for the state Department of Transportation, this project is part of a long-term effort to showcase the small town's history.

Other News

DeLorme Atlas Project -- It's in the mail . . . it really is! We can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate all the wonderful assistance we received on this project from all you great bridgers. Thanks to each of you covered bridge enthusiasts everywhere will be able to locate our bridges much easier as they travel across our country. Our heartfelt thanks to each of you!

New York State Driving Tour -- We are just overwhelmed with the support and words of encouragement we have received since this project began! The excitement is contagious. We have had many requests for information and several folks have offered to take the "test drive" for us. This is wonderful and very encouraging. Currently, we only have a "usable" rough draft of this project, but are very optimistic it will be ready for publication in the spring of 2003.

Virginia Covered Bridge Society -- Leola B. Pierce, author of Covered Bridges in Virginia, is interested in forming a Covered Bridge Society and would appreciate any assistance from other covered bridge organizations. Leola can be reached at 757-484-4404 or VaBridgeLady@aol.com

We just returned from a 10 day covered bridge adventure and here are a few miscellaneous things regarding our bridges we learned during our travels.

Bedford County, PA -- We spent two hours with Dennis Tice, Director of the Bedford County Visitors Bureau discussing their bridges and the recent arson of the Royt Covered Bridge last month. It is still questionable whether the Covered Bridge will be replaced or not, but it is certainly being considered. Letters of encouragement and support to Dennis would certainly be helpful in making a decision. You may contact him at: Mr. Dennis Tice, Visitors Bureau, 141 South Juliana St., Bedford, PA 15522. When you write, be sure to ask him about the marvelous covered bridge poster of Bedford County Covered Bridges. It is beautiful! (If you happen to have the 2002 Official Visitors Guide for Bedford County, there is photograph of the poster on the inside cover.) Dennis is also working on a website of all the covered bridges in the United States. Although it is still 'under construction" we were fortunate enough to be given a private tour of the site. We were very impressed! And for you postcard collectors, they have some new Bedford County Covered Bridge postcards as well. Update: A suspect is in custody for the arson of the Ryot Covered Bridge. An 18 year old from Lancaster, PA. Also strong support has been voiced to replace the Ryot bridge with another covered bridge structure.

Claycomb Covered Bridge - PA 38-05-12 This bridge is in dire need of a new roof. Roger Kirwin, Executive Director of the Old Bedford Village, is trying to secure funding this project. For more information, contact him at: Mr. Roger Kirwin, Executive Director, Old Bedford Village, Bedford, PA 15522 or e-mail him at: executivedirector@oldbedfordville.org.

Teegarden /Centennial Covered Bridge - OH 35-15-05 After many attempts to locate this bridge, we finally learned it had been dismantled and moved to storage. There was a great deal of concern that the bridge would soon be lost to yet another arson attempt, so it was decided to dismantle the bridge and storage it until it could be rebuilt at a safer location.

On a personal note: Like all covered bridge enthusiasts, we are greatly disturbed and saddened to hear of the loss of so many of our bridges this year. Many of you have made suggestions for what you feel would be an appropriate punishment for those involved with defacing and/or destroying these historic structures. If you have an honest and appropriate punishment for these offenders, we would like to hear from you. We will compile these suggestions and forward them on the officials in charge of making the decisions regarding the punishment of these offenders. All logical and serious suggestions will be added to the list.