Warren County - Blairstown - Footbridge Talk and Tour - Celebrating 125 Years!
Footbridge Talk and Tour - Celebrating 125 Years!
Blairstown's footbridge is celebrating 125 years since its installation in 1893! John I. Blair funded the installation of the bridge as a gift to the people of the community in honor of his own 91st birthday. It replaced a wooden bridge that had stood at the site since soon after the Blairstown Railway came to town in 1877. The wooden bridge eventually deteriorated due to excessive exposure to the elements and became unsafe. John I. Blair saw the need to have it replaced and so a new steel bridge was ordered from Passaic Rolling Mills of Paterson, NJ. As the main artery from the village to the railway station the footbridge was once a vital structure to aide pedestrians in traveling from the north side of town to the train station. Imagine townspeople bustling down the footbridge in a hurry to catch the departing train! As time passed and train travel via the New York, Susquehanna and Western was no longer needed for passenger travel, the bridge fell out of use. It was not forgotten though and in 1976 Township Clerk Rose Washburn recognized the importance of the footbridge. Through her efforts the footbridge became the focal point of the revitalization of the area now known as Footbridge Park. Our tour will include many details of the Footbridge's construction, the major floods that have threatened the bridge, the collapse and images of the bridge over time. We hope you can join the us!
The tour will meet at the park side entrance of the Footbridge, near the pavilion. It is expected to take a little over one hour. We recommend sturdy footwear. We will meet rain or shine. Parking available in the adjacent Footbridge Park parking lot.
As with all our activities the tour is FREE and open to the public. No reservations are necessary. The tour is presented by the volunteers of the Blairstown Historic Preservation Committee.