The Brooklyn Bridge of Monroe, NY
Everyone knows (or can guess) that the Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan to, uh, ummm, Brooklyn! It’s become synonymous with gullibility (“If you believe that, I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge!”). It’s been included in many movies including “I Am Legend”, “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Godzilla” and more.
But did you also know the Brooklyn Bridge was really located in Monroe, NY, which is located about 60 miles from the “other” Brooklyn Bridge?
So here’s the story. As I discussed in a previous blog, Monroe, NY was home to several cheese companies, one that produced Liederkanz, and one that invented and produced Velveeta, prior to being bought by Kraft.
Many of the cheese workers lived in boarding houses or homes that were located on what is now park land. The homes were located on the other side of a pond from the factory. The cheese company provided the workers with wood to build a bridge across the pond to “Brooklyn,” as the cheese factory site was called. The bridge was used by both the public and the workers, but each winter the ice would damage the bridge, and it would then be repaired annually by the workers.
If you are driving in Monroe today and you see a street named Bridge Street, that’s the site of the former bridge. The street was named for the “real” Brooklyn Bridge, which happens to have been located in Monroe, NY. For more information on Monroe’s cheese history, see the Historical Society’s webpage.
Brooklyn Bridge is so romantic.
check out the article i wrote about it.
http://www.wizznizz.com
What a great story that you wrote as well – I didn’t realize that was the story of the actual Brooklyn Bridge – thanks for sharing!
And thanks to you i know that there is also another Brooklyn Bridge !