Buskirk Covered Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning the Hoosic River just north of the hamlet of Buskirk, this covered bridge dates to about 1850 and still serves as a highway crossing. It is a single 160-foot span, about 16 feet wide, built as a Howe through truss. Laminated timber forms the top and bottom chords, paired timbers serve as diagonals, and triple iron rods act as vertical members, a combination of wood and iron typical of the Howe design. The sides are covered in vertical board siding, and the structure rests on concrete abutments. It forms a principal north-south link between Washington and Rensselaer Counties. The designer and builder are unknown. A 1977 inventory recorded its use as unchanged from its original purpose and noted that overloaded vehicles and ice jams posed risks to it. The bridge was included in a group nomination of covered bridges in Washington County, New York, and reviewers praised the quality of that group submission.
Significance in brief: The bridge is a Howe through truss with iron vertical rods, a type of wood-and-iron covered bridge construction. It carries a principal north-south connection between Washington and Rensselaer Counties. It was nominated as part of a group of covered bridges in Washington County. The surviving form text gives little detailed argument beyond these points.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78003457, listed March 8, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Spans Hoosic River N of NY 67, Buskirk |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | March 8, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78003457 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Howe through truss covered bridge with vertical board siding |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a highway bridge; interior open to traffic. Listed threats are overloaded vehicles and ice jams. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.95829, -73.43299 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78003457.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5001991
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.