Skinners Falls – Milanville Bridge
| Skinners Falls – Milanville Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Coordinates | 41°40′11″N 75°03′30″W / 41.669626°N 75.058358°WCoordinates: 41°40′11″N 75°03′30″W / 41.669626°N 75.058358°W |
| Carries | 1 lane of Skinners Falls Road |
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Milanville, Pennsylvania and Skinners Falls, New York |
| Official name | Skinners Falls – Milanville Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 470 feet (140 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1901 |
| Closed | 2015 (although still open for urgent maintenance and emergency use) |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | $0.22 (until the 1920s) |
The Skinners Falls – Milanville Bridge is a bridge spanning the Delaware River between Milanville, Pennsylvania and Skinners Falls, New York in Wayne County, Pennsylvania and Sullivan County, New York. The bridge is 470 feet (140 m) long and holds one single lane of Skinners Falls Road, a local road. The bridge was constructed by the American Bridge Company and funded by the Milanville Bridge Company. The bridge replaced a ferry run by raftsman Daniel Skinner and his family. The bridge opened in 1902 and remains in service today. It is one of several bridges in Sullivan County that are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Roebling Aqueduct and Pond Eddy Bridge.
In 1764, the crossing from Skinners Falls to Milanville was the location of timber rafting for one of the most prominent families in the area, the Skinners. That year, Daniel Skinner took the first timber raft down the Delaware River. Completing this accomplishment, Skinner received the name "Lord High Admiral", an honor that still stands to this date. The Skinners lived in a place christened as Milanville, but was known more locally as Skinners Falls. Upstream from the falls along the Delaware, another member of the Skinner family, Milton L. Skinner, operated a private ferry across the river between Pennsylvania and New York. Along with his brother, Volney, Milton Skinner also operated a local sawmill in Pennsylvania. For many years, these two rivermen remained prominent in the area.
The idea to construct a bridge in the area did not arise until the 20th Century. In 1900 and 1901, politicians started to feel it was appropriate to build a bridge in the area. A firm, run by Milton L. Skinner, first opened in 1901 to help sell stock, construct the bridge, and then follow it by operating it for the general public. The firm, named the Milanville Bridge Company, was located in the community of Milanville on the Pennsylvania side. At the time the name of the bridge was referred to as the Milanville Bridge, but eventually, locals referred it as the "Skinners Falls Bridge". The corporation received the charter from the state of Pennsylvania to construct the bridge in the later months of 1901. The firm hired the American Bridge Company to construct the bridge. Construction did not get far, before an ice flood raised the river to the second story level of Milanville homes. This, along with local opposition, caused a short delay in construction.
...
Wikipedia