The Aldrich Change Bridge in Macedon, NY, which collapsed into Ganargua Creek in January 1996 and was rescued by local residents a year later, will be the subject of a Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) recordation project this summer prior to restoration. Eric DeLony, Chief of HAER, believes the bridge is the oldest documented cast- and wrought-iron truss bridge in New York and one of the earliest surviving examples in the nation. DeLony, well known for his advocacy for historic bridges, has called the project "new, exciting, and grand." Local resident Jay Harding, coordinator of the Aldrich Change Bridge Committee, heads the restoration project.
The bridge was manufactured in 1858 in Waterford, NY, by John Hutchinson. Based on the design of Squire Whipple, the dean of American iron-truss bridge engineers, it originally was located over the old Erie Canal just north of the weighlock building in Rochester. In 1880, it was relocated over the canal on the Macedon-Palmyra town line after the existing wooden change bridge collapsed into the canal. The bridge then served as a crossing for mules and horses pulling boats to make the shift from the south towpath to the north as they approached Palmyra. A change bridge was not needed on the original Erie Canal at this location but, when the State widened the canal from 40 ft. to 70 ft., the canal waters came right up to the buildings in Palmyra and eliminated the original south towpath. Thus, the horses and mules had to change to the north side of the canal in order to pass through the village. The bridge, also known as Crossover Bridge No. 35, served until 1915, when the State abandoned the old canal in favor of the expanded Barge Canal. A local farmer bought the bridge and moved it to his property to provide a crossing of Ganargua Creek.
As a result of community interest and volunteer support, the bridge was removed from the icy waters of the creek in January 1997 by Sessler Excavating & Wrecking Co. of Waterloo, NY, and is being stored at the Macedon Highway Dept. The owners have agreed to donate the bridge to the communities of Palmyra and Macedon, and plans have been prepared to restore the bridge and return it to its 1880 site over the canal in what is now a community park. Once returned, the bridge will become part of the NY State Heritage Trail system, following more than 360 miles of the old canal. The Palmyra-Macedon Towpath Trail will offer views of the bridge as it looked in 1880.
The estimated cost of restoration and site work is $232,000. This includes $202,000 for rehabilitation work and site improvements; $22,000 in the value of labor, materials, and related services to salvage the bridge from the creek; and $8,000 to document the bridge to HAER standards. Professor Bradley Wales and architectural students from the State University at Buffalo will prepare the documentation this summer under the direction of Eric DeLony. Documentation will consist of measured drawings, large-format photographs, and a history of the bridge by engineering historian Bill Chamberlin [SIA]. Funding is from a HUD grant awarded as part of a countywide application for improving the Erie Canal Corridor as a tourist magnet. It is hoped that the bridge and canal trail will be an important tourist attraction for Wayne County. Information kiosks and interpretive signs will be installed at the site. Info: Jay Harding, 1735 Maple Ave., Palmyra, NY 14522; e-mail: jhmhfour@redsuspenders.com.
J.H.