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[ronaldgknapp]

Theodore Burr (1771–1822) was the most prominent of America’s three early nineteenth century bridge-building pioneers, the others being Timothy Palmer (1751–1821) and Lewis Wernwag (1769–1843). All three built superlative long-span timber bridges. A transplant from northwestern Connecticut, Theodore Burr moved to Oxford, New York in 1793. In less than thirty years, he erected timber bridges over major rivers—the Hudson, Schoharie, Mohawk, Delaware, Potomac, and Susquehanna rivers—in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, District of Columbia, and Maryland. This is the first book to narrate the significant role of covered bridges, associated turnpikes, and indeed the bridge-builders themselves in the westward expansion of the new nation. The book is richly illustrated with lithographs, paintings, and both historic and modern photographs, most of which have never been published before.