Accident on the Van Cortlandt Bridge, 1911

During the summer of 1911, a heavy truck's rear wheels broke through the wooden planks of the Van Cortlandt Bridge, which crossed the Croton River along the Albany Post Road. The accident occurred on the Croton side of the bridge, with Van Cortlandt Manor visible through the trees in the background of the photograph.

The truck's occupants were identified as David Miller and Aimee Marie Dyckman, a local woman he would marry six years later. Dyckman, who lived in nearby Oscawana, was related to the family that once owned Boscobel estate—a property originally located where the FDR Veterans Administration Hospital now stands before being relocated and reconstructed.

The Van Cortlandt Bridge had stood since 1860 when authorities were "to construct a bridge at or near the mouth of Croton river." The wooden structure had endured decades of damage from weather and flooding, requiring frequent repairs.

The truck was a 2-to-3 ton model manufactured by the American Locomotive Company of Providence, Rhode Island, representing some of the highest quality trucks produced between 1909 and 1913. Its substantial weight proved too much for the aging wooden planks designed for lighter vehicles.

By late summer 1911, Westchester County supervisors took action, noting that "the flooring of this bridge gave way" on two occasions when heavy trucks attempted crossing. They ordered bids for reconstructing the bridge's floor and supports, to be opened on September 11th.