The year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Bear Mountain Bridge continues this weekend. On Saturday, August 3rd, artist Stasia Fernandez will lead an outdoor painting lesson for enthusiastic participants in the New York Bridge Authorities Bear Mountain Bridge Paint & Learn.
Participants will take in views of the historic Purple Heart Bridge from the vantage point of Fort Montgomery State Historic Site. Participants of all artistic levels will be treated to beautiful views, learn new painting skills and historical knowledge, while also bringing home a canvas of their own work. The $30 fee covers the cost of all materials, including brushes, paints and the canvas, and the art lesson. In addition, each participant will receive a free tour of Fort Montgomery, a key Revolutionary War battle site, and a print of a Bear Mountain Bridge ink drawing by the late artist John F. Gould. There are two time slots available for those who are interested at 12 pm and 2 pm.
To register for one of the time slots, visit this link. If you have any questions or need accommodations, contact the NYS Bridge Authority by emailing [email protected] or calling (845) 691-7245.
In addition, on Wednesday, August, 7, 2024, National Purple Heart Day, the NYS Bridge Authority will host a tribute honoring local Purple Heart Veterans at the “Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bear Mountain Bridge”. Purple Heart recipients, friends, family, local diginitaries and the community will gather at the historic administration building where the ceremony will take place. The ceremony is sponsored by the nonprofit Historic Bridges of the Hudson Valley. In 2018, the bridge received the ceremonial designation of “Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bear Mountain Bridge,” in honor of Purple Heart recipients and in recognition of the area’s rich military history. Any veteran who has received the Purple Heart is encouraged to contact the Authority at [email protected] or call (845 )691-7245 to be put on the notification list for this event.
In December 2023, local historian Frank Goderre visited the Lincoln Museum to present Our bridge: 100 years of the Bear Mountain Bridge retrospective, where he spoke about the fascinating story of how the bridge came to be built, by whom, and how it has served the Hudson Valley over the past 100 years.
Late last year, as part of the Centennial Celebration, the NYS Bridge Authority also created a time capsule that is now sealed and stowed away in the bridge’s west anchorage located in the basement of the historic stone administration building. Inside that time capsule, over 92 fourth grade students from Hillcrest penned letters to readers a hundred years from now as the Peekskill Herald reported in April last year. The capsule will be opened in 2123.
The Bear Mountain Bridge was dedicated on November 26, 1924, and opened to the general public a day later on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1924. It was a groundbreaking engineering achievement for its time, being the first vehicular bridge over the Hudson River south of Albany and the first suspension bridge with a concrete deck. For a brief period, it also held the title of “bridge with the longest suspended central span in the world.” Many consider the innovations with the Bear Mountain Bridge to have spurred a boom in bridge building in New York State and the entire country in the years following. The bridge was originally built by a private enterprise, the Bear Mountain Hudson River Bridge Company. In September 1940, the New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) acquired the bridge, making it NYSBA’s southernmost bridge.
The centennial celebrations will continue later this year. In September, the Bridge Authority will team up with New York State Parks to present the next installment in their “Bridges to Parks” guided hike series. On Sunday, November 24, 2024 the day the bridge first opened, there will be a celebration at the bridge to mark the historic event. To learn more, visit https://www.bmb100.com/. The public can also learn more by visiting the Bear Mountain Bridge Toll House on Route 6/202, which is open June through October. The Tudor-style Toll House was originally the office and collection area for tolls along that roadway. It was restored and is operated by the Town of Cortlandt. Visit the Town of Cortlandt website for hours of the Toll House.
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