1869 Whipple Bridge Back across Enlarged Erie Canal

Abstract

Cast and wrought-iron bridges across the Enlarged Erie Canal built by Squire Whipple, or to his 1841 patent, were commonplace in the period of the early 1840s up to the opening of the New York State Barge Canal in the second decade of the 20th century. Many bridges were removed and sold to private land owners for their use, and some were scrapped by the state. This article traces the history of one of his bridges and its recent rehabilitation and reconstruction over a portion of the Enlarged Erie Canal at Vischer's Ferry, New York. Students and friends of Union College successfully rebuilt the bridge, stone abutments, and approaches with no state, federal, or town funding. It stands as a tribute to what can be done to preserve the heritage of American civil engineering.