Letchworth State Park: Lower Falls of the Genesee River from the Stone Bridge

Letchworth State Park: The Stone Bridge Over the Genesee River

The stone footbridge just comes into view.

It is an astonishing accomplishment, built by hand with simple equipment 

and inexperienced men during the Great Depression.

View of the Lower Falls of the Genesee River and the stone stairs to the footbridge.

Stone Arch Bridge in Florence, NY

So delicate, a perfectly executed arch.

The way across it leads from a secondary road up the hill to the Graves Cemetery (really) and splitting off from that another woods road up to a farm field behind the cemetery.

The bridge sees very little use, and that is fortunate. If you look closely at the second photo, you can see that part of the arch toward the downstream side is slumping. Nothing has fallen from it yet, but it feels fragile. The vibrations from snow machines or ATVs might wear at it. Also, the way is not fenced from the road, and so an automobile could conceivably attempt to drive across it.

I have research to do. The only thing I can find about the bridge is actually a careful list of the people buried in the Graves Cemetery. I will contact the Florence Historical Society if there is one, and Camden, Rome and Oneida County Historical Societies, too. Someone must know the history.

It is a treasure built by a very, very skilled stone builder.