A bridge to the past

I often drive from Port Jervis to Pond Eddy on Route 97. As many of you know, it is a very pleasant drive. Driving along the curvy road, reminiscent of the French coast, you can see tall green trees and houses sparsely dotting the landscape, then a village, followed by a trail head, then perhaps a glimpse of eagles in the protected Mongaup area, before finally arriving at Pond Eddy, a historic hamlet with a strong identity born of a rich and unique heritage.

Pond Eddy was a village of workers: D & H Canal workers, railroad workers and lumber workers. The village extends to both the New York and the Pennsylvania sides of the Delaware River. Uniting the two sides is a bridge accessible from Route 97 in New York, and connecting in Pennsylvania to a rural road lined with scenery and quarries, leading towards the Milford area.

What is truly amazing is that today, you can still see so much of the original village. Most of the historic Pond Eddy houses situated along the river are still intact. Pond Eddy has two churches, one with beautiful Tiffany windows, a village green where there once was a school, two potentially very interesting restaurants with lodging possibilities, and a commercial area, ready to go.

But especially significant is Pond Eddy’s outstanding, protected, historic truss bridge, built in 1904. This is the kind of bridge you see in movies, the perfect setting for a romantic couple to walk slowly, enjoying the view and one another’s company.

What makes a truss bridge special?

The Pond Eddy Bridge is an important monument to the ingenuity and tenacity of early 20th- century bridge building. The methods and technology used to build this bridge are no longer used, and have not been used for many decades, so there are very few bridges of this type.

The skeletal nature of a through-truss bridge makes it an excellent tool for learning about engineering and how compression and tension make a bridge work. Back in 1904, constructing the Pond Eddy Bridge was a much more complex undertaking than it would be today; modern machinery was still in its early stages and standard plans for bridges on roadways were only beginning to develop. And yet, the beauty of the Pond Eddy Bridge could certainly not be duplicated today. Preserving the Pond Eddy Bridge would be a great way to honor the people before us, who worked so hard to keep our country moving forward.

Don’t throw away a treasure

Replacing the Pond Eddy Bridge is simply a mediocre idea and would be a misuse of funds.

The bridge is an asset for tourism and local business, as it has a unique and charming look. It is a local treasure that should be protected, maintained and enhanced. Let us not be blind to the beauty and cultural value of what we have. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

(Maria Sutto is a journalist living in Pond Eddy and New York City. She is an advocate for preserving local roots in the face of a changing world.)