Buskirk Bridge is a wooden covered bridge and is the name of the hamlet in which it is located. It is in the town of Hoosick. The bridge, which crosses the Hoosic River is one of 29 historic covered bridges in New York State. The bridge takes its name from the nearby hamlet of the same name, which was named after the local Van Buskirk family.[3]
Town and Howe truss designs were patented by Ithiel Town in 1820 and William Howe in 1840, respectively.[2] The Buskirk Bridge a Howe truss design, and was built to replace a previous Burr arch truss. It is perhaps the earliest Howe truss bridge that survives in New York State.[4]
A topographic map of its location appears in its individual inventory document prepared by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 1977.[5]
^The MPS document at one point seems to contradict itself, saying the "Town truss type is represented...by the bridges at Buskirk and at Rexleigh" and also it "is the earliest Howe truss bridge surviving in New York State" (page 3), but elsewhere it is clear that the Buskirk and Rexleigh bridges are both of the Howe truss design.