Before Brooklyn, a bridge rose in Minisink Ford

MIDDLETOWN — New York State Route 97, otherwise known as the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, offers breath-taking views of the river and the surrounding area, the twisting turns of the famous Hawk’s Nest and historical and recreational areas along the way.

One of those historical sites was the site of the Battle of Minisink Ford in 1779 Seventy years later in 1849 the Hamlet of Minisink Ford became the eastern end of the Delaware Aqueduct.

Revolutionary designThe aqueduct was one of four built by John Roebling, who 20 years later saw the start of his design of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The aqueducts - Delaware, Lackawaxen, Neversink and High Falls, as well as the renowned bridge - had one major component in common: A revolutionary suspension design incorporating iron-wire cables.

On Tuesday, March 31, National Park Service Ranger Susie Kaspar will explain in a lecture, the importance of the construction of the aqueduct bridge over the Delaware and how it helped shape the industrial and economic history of the region.

Coal from Pennsylvania shipped to NYC

Her talk, "John Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct," will describe how the Delaware Aqueduct was a key component in the more efficient transporting of northeastern Pennsylvania anthracite coal on the Delaware and Hudson Canal to Kingston, where it was transferred to boats to travel down the Hudson River to New York City.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Sandra and Alan Gerry Forum of the Rowley Center for Science and Engineering on the campus of SUNY Orange.

Today, Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, also known as the Roebling Bridge, stands as the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States.

Test of timeRoebling’s use of stiffened wire rope revolutionized the bridge industry and has helped the Delaware Aqueduct stand the test of time.

Designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972, its 535 feet over the Delaware River, connects Lackawaxen, Pa., to Minisink Ford in New York. The bridge opened in 1849 as an aqueduct connecting two parts of the Delaware & Hudson Canal.

When the canal shutdown operations in 1898, it was converted for use as a vehicular bridge for wagons and later motor vehicles until 1979.

It has been modified many times, matching the changing face of transportation. In 1980, the National Parks Service purchased it.

To demonstrate the strength of Roebling’s design, almost all of the existing ironwork, — saddles, cables, and suspenders — were used in the bridge’s reconstruction by the National Park Service.

Essential informationFor additional information:

Call: 845-341-4891
Email: or cultural@sunyorange.edu

Visit online at www.sunyorange.edu/culturalaffairs.