Stutson
Probably by this time next year, the Stutson Street bridge will be another chapter in our Irondequoit Memories. The bridge was erected at the cost of $386,789.55 and was open to traffic on March 1, 1918. It was a tremendous improvement for the residents of Irondequoit and Charlotte. Previous to the opening of the bridge the residents of both sides of the river had to ride the Windsor Ferry which stopped operations after the summer months. To cross the river when the ferry stopped, one had to travel south on Lake Avenue to the Driving Park bridge, a great inconvenience especially for those on the Irondequoit side who wished to shop in Charlotte.
But from the time it was opened until now, the poor old Stutson Street bridge has been the butt of many jokes and complaints. It is said the Supervisor Louis Dubelbeiss kept running for office year after year from 1910 to 1919 only because he wasn't going to leave until the bridge was opened. There had been trouble with the foundation, for there was a trench in the rock on the river bottom that was filled with silt and the pilings had to be bee driven through the silt. Through the years, frustrated drivers stuck in traffic during the summer railed at delays since to many, it seemed that the bridge was up more than it was down. Then there were the numerous times as the bridge got older that it was shut down for repairs. Then there were the power failures like the one in July of 1955 that caught the bridge up in the air.
By 1980 Charlotte residents asked the state to to replace the bridge. It has cost well over $7 million dollars to keep the poor old thing in repair. But it has always afforded us a great view of the ships in the channel and the changing colors of the river shore line. The metal grid of the surface was a great challenge to young bike riders, and if you were not in a hurry watching the slow ascent of the lift and then its almost mystical descent seemed to young children almost magical.
The bridge had been named in honor of the twin brothers James and Joseph Stutson who came to this area in 1822. In 1850 they they opened a tavern on River Street which later became Stutson Street. James was president of Charlotte village from 1872 to 1873.
The new span is named after Rochester's own Civil War hero, Colonel Patrick O'Rorke. The colonel, who was born in Ireland, was the first Irish Catholic graduate of West Point He ranked first in his class In 1861 O'Rorke served with Rochester's own 140th Infantry regiment. O’Rorke was shot in the neck during the defense of Little Roundtop at the battle of Gettysburg. Robert Marcotte in his great book "Where They Fell" points out that this promising young officer "helped secure a critical Union victory. His courage and that of other Irish-Americans in battle eased the prejudice against them." Honoring this brave young man is appropriate, but it will probably be awhile before residents will remember to refer to the span as the O'Rorke Bridge rather than the Stutson Street bridge. We hope this "new bridge on the block" will serve us as well as her maligned predecessor and add to our 'Irondequoit Memories"
Patricia Wayne,
Town Historian |
