Glimmerglass Park, Hyde Hall Site of Bicentennial Bridge Event

By MARIA GRISWOLD
SPRINGFIELD

On Saturday, October 11, America’s oldest surviving covered bridge celebrated its 200th birthday. The Hyde Hall Covered Bridge was built in 1825 to provide access to George Clarke’s estate. According to officials, many notable figures have crossed the bridge, including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Samuel F.B. Morse, and Juliette Gordon Low. Most bridges built around this time have been removed or replaced, but the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge has exceptional features, including the Burr Arch Truss design, which distributes weight evenly. This innovative feature is the reason for the bridge’s long lifespan.

Saturday’s bicentennial celebration for the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge took place at Glimmerglass State Park, beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting until 4 p.m. Admission to the park was free for visitors that day.

The event began with music by Bog Hollow Band at the pavilion near the Lakeview Room. In the parking area, food trucks, face painting and a classic antique car show took place throughout the celebration. In the Woodshed, there was a continuously running informational presentation about New York covered bridges. Clydesdale wagon rides were traversing the park from the parking area to the covered bridge.

Near the covered bridge, a large tent was set up with different organizations tabling inside. These organizations included the Timber Framers Guild, Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, New York State Park Police, NYPENN Girl Scouts, Cooperstown Graduate Program with children’s activities, and more. From nationwide covered bridge information to souvenir books and special post office cancellation on souvenir postcards, there was something for everyone at the event.

Also under the white tent were the six notable covered bridge societies, hailing from Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Vermont and, of course, New York. Andy Rebman, president of the Indiana Covered Bridge Society, shared that this occasion marked the first time in 20 years that all six presidents of each covered bridge society were present at the same place.

In the Lakeview Room, there was a series of lectures throughout the morning. The first of the three lectures presented was “Theodore Burr” by Ron Knapp, who has “authored or co-authored numerous books on covered bridges and Chinese architecture,” according to the event overview. The following lecture, “Construction Features of the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge,” was presented by Jan Lewandoski, a timber framer specializing in restoration and traditional building. The final lecture of the morning featured Rebman, who spoke on “New York’s Three Great Turnpikes—the Early Roads around Cooperstown.” More lectures were scheduled for later in the day, taking place in the Hyde Hall mansion and the Woodshed.

The official ceremony took place from 1-2 p.m. at the covered bridge. John Kucko, master of ceremonies, introduced the event, after which the Cooperstown High School band performed its rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner. Up next were notable speakers including State Senator Peter Oberacker, Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, Hyde Hall Board Chairman Gib Vincent, and National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges President Bill Caswell. Following the speakers, Mike Holt performed a song and the CHS band played 1825 concert music.

The afternoon festivities at Hyde Hall mansion and the Woodshed included two more presentations: “Hyde Hall Covered Bridge, Its History and George Clarke’s Overall Plan for the Estate,” by Gib Vincent, and “Construction of the Covered Bridge Model,” by Mike Musante. Once the lectures concluded, the covered bridge model was presented at Hyde Hall. Holt played more live music at the Woodshed during this time.

The event drew hundreds of visitors from all over the country, all sharing the same interest in America’s oldest surviving covered bridge.