Apalachin Community Press, May 2000
 
The Apalachin Bridge

The New Apalachin-Campville River Crossing replaces the bridge that was washed away in a flood in the late 1800s.

by Emma M. Sedore, Town of Owego Historian
If William S. Pearsall and Ransom Steele of Apalachin were alive today they would wonder what all the fuss is about regarding the building of a bridge across the river. Heck, in the late 1840's, when the Erie railroad officials made plans to come through on the north side of the river, they made an offer the Apalachin men couldn't refuse. All they had to do was to build a bridge crossing over from Apalachin, and the officials of the Erie promised to erect a train station at the end of the bridge. This would be a good thing since Apalachin was a hub for lumber and grist mills. Until then, the main form of transportation for their products was rafting them down the river. To be able to cart them across a bridge and just load them onto a train would be a major achievement.

Pearsall and Steele immediately formed a stock company with other Apalachin businessmen, and by the end of November 1849, a $7,500 wooden bridge was erected at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue. However, there was a catch. The railroad didn't keep their word about placing the station at the end of the bridge, but instead, built it two miles west, at Campville. Perhaps because Campville was exactly the midpoint (230 miles) between Dunkirk, New York on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, and New York City, it would be a perfect place for a stockyard. The Apalachin businessmen were provoked, but the bridge still saved a lot of time because the nearest crossings were at Owego and Broome County. (Sound familiar?)

Three years later, in the spring of 1852, a flood washed part of the bridge downstream. It was quickly repaired, but the following year another misfortune happened. While driving his team of horses, over the bridge, Ross McNeil of Campville broke through the wooden flooring and plunged into the river. He sued the stock company, and the matter was settled by awarding him the bridge. But, as fate would have it, another flood occurred a few years later sweeping the whole thing away, never to be rebuilt. The Apalachin men then constructed a large, flat-bottomed ferry which they used for their own accommodation to cross over to the Campville station.

It is doubtful that Pearsall and Steele sat in meetings repeatedly asking, "Should we? Where will it be? And who will pay for it?" Heck, if they could have seen our slow progress, they would probably ask, "What took you so long?"


Sources:

Harper's NY & Erie Railroad Guide

Warren G. Olin, Past Tioga Co. Historian

Our County & Its People, LeRoy Kingman

Tioga County Historical Society Museum