1859 Erie Canal Bridge Collapse Monument, Albion
About
Over 166 years ago when Orleans County endured one of our most tragic days. There were 250 people on a bridge over the Erie Canal on Main Street in Albion. They gathered to watch a wire walker.
The bridge gave out, and 15 people died. It was Sept. 28, 1859. It was supposed to be a day of celebration during the local county fair.
At the time, the “Great Blondin” was one of the most famous people in the world. Charles Blondin became the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He did it on June 30, 1859, covering an 1,100-foot stretch that was 160 feet above the water.
He seemed to do it with ease and would add more stunts – cooking an omelet, pushing a wheelbarrow, and carrying his manager on his back across the gorge.
Blondin would inspire other tightrope walkers, including George Williams of Brockport. He was in Albion on Sept. 28, 1859, with a rope high above the canal, connected to buildings on each side. Williams took a few steps and then tragedy struck.
The bridge tumbled into the canal, killing 15 people and maiming many others.
On Sept. 28, 2024, just over a year ago, the Albion Rotary Club and Village of Albion dedicated a monument to those killed in the bridge collapse.
Brigden Memorials in Albion created the monument that includes artwork by Brigden stone cutter David Strickland, showing an outline of Blondin, the bridge that fell into the canal, and handprints of local people close in age to those who died.
The outline of the bridge shows the Squire Whipple bowstring iron truss bridge that crashed into the canal. The bridge was 60 feet long, about half the length of the current lift bridge over the canal.
The other side of the monument details the tragedy, and lists the names, ages and where the people who perished were from. Dee Robinson, a local historian, compiled that list, scouring newspapers, genealogy sites and “Find A Grave” databases.
Those who perished in the bridge collapse include:
Perry G. Cole, 19, of Barre
Augusta Martin, 18, of Carlton
Ann Viele, 36, of Gaines
Edwin Stillson, 16, of Barre
Joseph Code, 18, of Albion
Lydia Harris, 11, of Albion
Thomas Handy, 66, of Yates
Sarah Thomas, 10, of Carlton
William Henry, 22, of Saratoga County
Ransom S. Murdock, 17, of Carlton
Adelbert Wilcox, 17, of West Kendall
Sophia Pratt, 18, of Toledo, Ohio
Thomas Aulchin, 50, of Paris (Canada)
Jane Lavery, 16, of Albion
Charles Rosevelt, 21, of Sandy Creek
