Rensselaer/Washington Counties

Buskirk Covered Bridge -- NY 32-42-02/58-04 The Buskirk Covered Bridge is once again standing tall and proud thanks to the combined efforts of Willie Grimmke, Superintendent of Public Works of Washington County and the Alpine Construction Company from Stillwater, NY and countless other individuals involved in the rehabilitation of this bridge. Congratulations and a big thank you goes out to each of you for saving yet another one of our covered bridges. The Buskirk covered bridge opened to traffic once again on April 1, 2005.

During a recent trip to Vermont we stopped by to see the bridge and were very impressed! As you can see by the photos, this bridge looks magnificent now and even more important, it is safe for traffic. There is a weight restriction on the bridge that we certainly hope will be adhered to. The day we visited you could tell the bridge had just recently been painted, except for the white trim. Congratulations to Willie Grimmke and the Alpine Construction Company for their excellent work on this bridge.

Buskirk Bridge 32-42-02/58-04 Photo by Bob & Trish Kane, May 14, 2005	Buskirk Bridge 32-42-02/58-04 Photo by Bob & Trish Kane, May 14, 2005

Beyond New York

Other news
Alabama -- It isn't often I can report news on our covered bridges in the south, and now that I can, it is only to report the loss of one. The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge (AL 01-41- 04) in east Lee County, Alabama collapsed on Saturday June 4, 2005. A tree fell on a portion of the bridge Friday evening and then around 1:00 pm Saturday, the entire bridge fell into Wacoochee creek leaving the bridge in total ruins.

Canada -- A new book! Les ponts couverts au Quebec. The first complete book about wooden covered bridges in Quebec. This book is a Quebec's Department of Transportation project however, most of the book was written by Gerald Arbour, former President of Quebec's Covered Bridge Society. You can order by calling this toll free number 1-888-746-2283, ext. 227. Please use this ISBN number when ordering: 2-551-19636-1. Congratulations, Gerald!

Indiana -- By now you have all heard of the terrible loss of the Bridgeton Covered Bridge in Parke County Indiana on April 28, 2005 due to arson. What a terrible shame . Jesse Payne was formally charged in Parke County Circuit Court of two charges of arson. Charge #1: Arson Class B Felony of the Bridgeton Bridge. Charge #2: Attempted Arson Class B Felony of the Mansfield Bridges. His sentence could be 6-20 years for each count with a $10,000 bond. If you would like to follow what is happening in this case, as well as the rebuilding of the Bridgeton Covered bridge, visit this web site often: http://www.coveredbridges.com/home.htm

Pennsylvania -- We all know one of the best ways to preserve our covered bridges is to educate our children about their historical significance, and teacher Tom Rosencrans of the Priestley Elementary School in Northumberland, PA is doing just that. During a recent visit by his fifth-grade class to the Keefer Station Covered Bridge, Tom assured his students that there was plenty to study besides the messages scrawled by vandals on the historic structure. The field trip was intended to give students an up-close look at the architecture of the bridge as part of a unit on covered bridges developed by Tom through the Partners in History program. The Partners in History program is a professional development program for 15 teachers developed by the State Museum of Pennsylvania in partnership with the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit. Teachers complete an orientation day at the intermediate unit, a two-day symposium at the museum and a week's residence at the museum. The teachers then create curriculum activities using objects and documents from the museum's Pennsylvania history collection. For covered bridges, Tom used correspondence written by bridge designer Theodore Burr. Weeks before they traveled to see the covered bridge, the pupils began learning how they were built by building model bridges. Wouldn't it be super if we could get programs of this type in all our schools! Our children would certainly come away with a better understanding of just how important our covered bridges are and hopefully, have a greater appreciation for them. Thanks, Tom!

Virginia - Leola Pierce is at it again! This lady just doesn't quit when it comes to Virginia's Covered Bridges. Leola just finished her second book, Covered Bridges in Virginia -- Nine Old Ladies in the Slow Lane! You can order this book on line at: www.authorhouse.com. Please use this ISBN number when ordering: 1-4208-3998-5. Congratulations, Leola!