Lloyd Historical Society
Upcoming Program
Monday, May 6, 2024
Crossing the Wallkill:
New Paltz Covered Bridges Then & Now
presented by Ron Knapp
Crossing the Wallkill: New Paltz Covered Bridges Then & Now is an illustrated talk that draws on archival and field research.
The talk focuses on three covered timber bridges built across the Wallkill River in the 1820s in the Town of New Paltz--New Paltz Main Street Bridge 1820/1821; Perrine's Bridge 1821/1822; and Phillies Bridge 1826/1827--and then brings the stories forward into the 20th century. Why two dates are shown here will be disclosed during the talk.
Today, Perrine's Covered is the only one of these three still standing as a covered bridge, but today Perrine's is in the Town of Esopus. The abutments of Phillies, the covered bridge having collapsed in 1952 and then burned, are now in the Town of Gardiner. The history of the New Paltz Bridge at the foot of Main Street is complex. Newly discovered evidence helps tell its story.
Ron Knapp, a cultural/historical geographer, taught at SUNY New Paltz from 1968 to 2001, when he retired as SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus. While he is best known for his more than 20 books concerning China's vernacular architecture, including village dwellings and covered bridges, he has co-authored two books with Terry Miller on covered bridges in the United States and China : America's Covered Bridges: Practical Crossings, Nostalgic Icons (2014, $2 China's Covered Bridges. Both will be available for cash or check sale at the talk for $30 each His newest book is Theodore Burr and the Bridging of Early America: The Man, Fellow Bridge Builders, and Their Forgotten Timber Spans (2023, $60). Details can be found on amazon.com about these books
The program will take place on Monday May 6th at 7:00 pm in the Highland Public Library 14 Elting Place, Highland NY
The talk focuses on three covered timber bridges built across the Wallkill River in the 1820s in the Town of New Paltz--New Paltz Main Street Bridge 1820/1821; Perrine's Bridge 1821/1822; and Phillies Bridge 1826/1827--and then brings the stories forward into the 20th century. Why two dates are shown here will be disclosed during the talk.
Today, Perrine's Covered is the only one of these three still standing as a covered bridge, but today Perrine's is in the Town of Esopus. The abutments of Phillies, the covered bridge having collapsed in 1952 and then burned, are now in the Town of Gardiner. The history of the New Paltz Bridge at the foot of Main Street is complex. Newly discovered evidence helps tell its story.
Ron Knapp, a cultural/historical geographer, taught at SUNY New Paltz from 1968 to 2001, when he retired as SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus. While he is best known for his more than 20 books concerning China's vernacular architecture, including village dwellings and covered bridges, he has co-authored two books with Terry Miller on covered bridges in the United States and China : America's Covered Bridges: Practical Crossings, Nostalgic Icons (2014, $2 China's Covered Bridges. Both will be available for cash or check sale at the talk for $30 each His newest book is Theodore Burr and the Bridging of Early America: The Man, Fellow Bridge Builders, and Their Forgotten Timber Spans (2023, $60). Details can be found on amazon.com about these books
The program will take place on Monday May 6th at 7:00 pm in the Highland Public Library 14 Elting Place, Highland NY