Historic Copeland Bridge

Historic Copeland Bridge

I started writing about my day in Edinburg, NY just a couple weeks after I had been there. Coming back to my notes about Beecher Creek Falls almost a year later, I wonder why I never shared my experience of finding the gentle waterfall.

Malta Ridge Cemetery (Ballston Spa, NY)

I was up early and the summer sun was shining bright. I had just finished my orthodontist appointment and was ready for an adventure. My explorations began at this cemetery I drive by regularly. This small cemetery is on NY State Route 9 and has a historical marker, that always draws my attention, piquing my curiosity. I walked through quickly, inspecting names, dates, and headstone filigree. The oldest date in this little cemetery is 1805.

After I finished walking through the cemetery, I was still eager to do something! Ready to drive into the mountains and hike up, if it got me to a waterfall!

Southern Adirondacks

I went home and made a search for waterfalls near me.  Beecher Creek Falls and a historic covered bridge were just a short drive from where I was. I calculated that I could go see it, and be home before 1pm, even if I made more than one stop or got lost.

Edinburg, NY

A little turnout parking area, just off the road. It was directly after a sharp turn in the road and I missed it. I was looking for signs for the Copeland Bridge and although I missed the turnout, it is actually very well marked. There are historical markers posted near the bridge and an old carriage shop, both of which are near Beecher Creek Falls.

Beecher Creek Falls

Beecher Creek Falls is a 20 ft cascade waterfall.

Copeland Covered Bridge

“Date:1879; restoration and site improvements 2001
Builders: Meltzer Manning (mason); Azariah Ellithorpe, Jr. (framing)
One of only two surviving covered bridges in the Adirondacks, the last in Saratoga County, and the only known example of the queenpost truss type in New York State. Built as a pedestrian bridge for Arad Copeland and his livestock to access pasture across the creek, the 30’ (9.1 m) span rests on dry-laid fieldstone abutments. The Edinburg Historical Society owns and maintains it as a public walkway, with a small parking area and scenic overlook of Beecher Creek Falls.” The Adirondack Architecture Guide, Southern-Central Region

The same information about the bridge is regurgitated on every web page that mentions the Copeland Covered Bridge.

Copeland Carriage Works

“Date: c. 1817
An early and long-serving industrial building that adapted with the times. Arad and Leonard Copeland arrived in the Hollow in 1828, acquired this building (possibly a carding mill) from Beecher, and turned it into a carriage factory. In addition to the extant assembly shop, the original complex included a water-powered mill (stone foundation still visible) and a dam on the creek. Rather ornamental for a utilitarian structure, the shop’s carriage-width double doors are framed by slender pilasters supporting a bracketed entablature. Segmental-arched loft doors with flanking windows on the upper story form a Palladian composition. Inside, the heavy timber framing and original wide plank floor are visible. In the 1880s Arad’s son-in-law John Latcher converted it to a machine shop. The Edinburg Historical Society is stabilizing the building.” The Adirondack Architecture Guide, Southern-Central Region

Great Sacandaga Lake

In the end, I did make an additional stop. But only after I had been to my destination and knew I had time for a side adventure. I chose a place that intrigued me on my drive to the Copeland Bridge. There was a small parking area at the end a long bridge that crossed the Great Sacandaga Lake. And despite the summer heat continuing to rise, I chose to walk across the bridge in full exposure to the sun, to admire the peaks of the Southern Adirondacks.

August 3, 2017
All photos were taken by me (Alicen).