Our Master Plan Explained
The Dix Bridge
The Dix Bridge formally joins Saratoga and Washington Counties within the Hudson Crossing Park. Once re-opened, it will serve as the keystone of the Park ~ bridging communities and inviting bicyclists, pedestrians, snowmobilers, and skiers to cross the Hudson River. It will serve as the local crossing for the N.Y.S. Canalway Trail, a 546 mile-long shared-use trail following along the N.Y.S. Canal System.
The site itself has great historic significance. This was a well-traveled crossroad for the Native Americans. If you were to stand in the center of the bridge and look to the north you would see the cuts in the river-bank where General John Burgoyne's troops came to this place and crossed the Hudson on "Bateaux" 30' long flat-bottomed, flat-sided, double-ended crafts. More than 6000 people traversed this area in the fall of 1777 and the crossing came to be known as Burgoyne's "Bridge of Boats" .
In the late 1800's if you had wanted to cross the Hudson River near Schuylerville N.Y. you would have paid a toll and likely crossed down-river near the current Route #29 Bridge or up-river near the current Route #4 Northumberland Bridge. A local resident named Clark owned property on the east side of the river. In 1888 he built a beautiful home for his daughter who was the wife of John Alden Dix. ( John Dix later served as Governor of New York State from 1911-1913). A second house, a mirror image of the first, was built for his other daughter and no longer stands. Today, the owners of the Dix Estate are working together with the Board of Hudson Crossing Park to secure funding to transfer the estate into the Park for preservation and interpretation.
By 1895, Mr. Clark was annoyed with the crossing tolls and he used his personal funds to build a "free bridge". With much fanfare, the Sept. 11 1895 "Schuylerville Standard" announced the opening of the bridge. It had taken three months to complete and was wide enough to allow teams to pass each other without difficulty. Built by F. R. Hawkins Iron Works of Springfield, Mass. the Dix Bridge allowed folks to travel into town to trade without having to pay for the privilege.
As it now stands, the Dix Bridge, eligible for listing on the National Historic Register, is closed to all traffic (including pedestrian) and is flagged by the D.O.T. to be removed due to structural damage. The Hudson Crossing Board of Directors has been successful in attempts to postpone this fate and both Washington and Saratoga Counties support efforts to seek funding to save and rehabilitate this historic structure.
It will be costly - perhaps as much as three million dollars to open the bridge as a shared-use trail. The cost to tear it down however, would most likely exceed one million dollars. It is truly a marvelous piece of history worth saving!