{"nrhp_refnum":"99000502","name":"Hamden Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Basin Clove Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hamden","county":"Delaware County","state":"NY","lat":42.195622221000065,"lon":-74.98829595199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-04-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 128-foot timber covered bridge carrying Basin Clove Road across the West Branch of the Delaware River in the hamlet of Hamden, Delaware County, New York, built in 1859 by local builder Robert Murray.","why_significant":"The bridge is significant for transportation and engineering as a rare, substantially intact example of rural vernacular bridge design in the Catskill region. It uses the Long truss and is one of only three Long truss examples remaining in New York State. It is also the second oldest extant covered wood bridge in Delaware County and still serves as a public crossing.","narrative":"Spanning the West Branch of the Delaware River in Hamden, in the Catskill Mountains, this 128-foot covered bridge carries Basin Clove Road and has done so since 1859. Local builder Robert Murray erected it under contract with the town, using timber cut and sawed nearby. The structure follows the Long truss design, patented by Col. Stephen H. Long in 1830, and only three bridges of this type survive in New York State. Originally a single span on dry-laid fieldstone abutments, it gained a center pier and relieving beam in 1940, and its abutments were later capped with concrete. Board-and-batten siding and a galvanized metal roof enclose the frame. The bridge is valued as a well-preserved example of rural vernacular engineering that relied on local materials and craft skills. It is the second oldest extant covered wood bridge in Delaware County and remains an active public crossing.","period_of_significance":"1859","architect_builder":"Robert Murray (builder)","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Continues in use as a public road crossing, maintained by the Delaware County Department of Public Works; a center pier was added in 1940 and steel box beam guardrails were installed at the portals in recent years.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.030639-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/99000502.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000502/0f45e444d0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000502/0f45e444d0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamden_Covered_Bridge_May_06.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamden_Covered_Bridge_May_06.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317223","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamden_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5644392"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/delaware-county/hamden-covered-bridge-99000502/"}