Keeseville Suspension Bridge

The Keeseville Suspension Bridge is a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Ausable River. It was built in 1888 and is a very old surviving example of a suspension foot bridge. These types of bridges are frequently called “swinging bridges” due to the lightweight design and the resulting movement that can be felt in the deck.

This bridge was originally built to connect the Keeseville residences with the tanneries, foundries, nail factories, forges, saw mills and other industrial/manufacturing entities. Bridges of this type generally suffer from a significant loss of historic integrity. However, this bridge is significant because of its lack of alteration.

This bridge was preceded by two previous footbridges. The first was built sometime prior to the 1840’s and was a footpath hung from forged chains. On September 13, 1842, The New York State Militia held a muster in Keeseville. As the militiamen marched across the bridge, the measured cadence of the troops caused one of the links to break. Forty people fell into the river, and thirteen were killed. This behavior of suspension bridges is now well documented, and many parades require people to break rank in order to cross them. Another suspension bridge was built soon after the tragedy, and remained until 1888 when it was replaced with the current bridge.