The oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States links Lackawaxen, PA and Minisink Ford, NY. The Delaware Aqueduct, or Roebling Bridge as it is now known, was begun in 1847 as one of four suspension aqueducts on the Delaware and Hudson Canal. It was designed by and built under the supervision of John A. Roebling, future engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Delaware and Hudson (D & H) Canal and Gravity Railroad was a system of transportation between coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania and markets on the Hudson River, including New York City. It operated from 1828 until 1898, with enlargements after the 1840s. Two important local industries with conflicting needs brought about construction of Roebling’s aqueduct: canal traffic and timber rafting. For more about the Gravity Railroad and the restored canal house at Lock 31, visit http://www.wayne
historypa.org.

Excerpted text from NPS.