May 22

May 22, 1820: The first Carthage bridge collapses due to a structural flaw. The bridge was constructed over the Genesee River gorge from the settlement of Carthage, located just north of Rochester, along the east bank near the lower falls. Completed just 15 months prior, the bridge was hailed as an great engineering accomplishment, rivaling any bridge in the United States or Europe.

Sources and Further Reading:

1.  The History of Rochester and Monroe County (1908); Peck, William; pg 39

Request for proposals for building the Carthage bridge, published in The Rochester Gazzette, October 14, 1817