~ Leonardo da Vinci
~ 1452 ~ 1519
~ “Leonardo’s Notebooks”
The historic Northampton Street Bridge, commonly called the Free Bridge, spans across the Delaware River linking Phillipsburg, New Jersey & Easton, Pennsylvania as sunset neared on June 30, 2023.
I shot this from the banks of the river on the Phillipsburg side facing Easton, as wildfire smoke from Canadian wildfires moving through the area caused hot milky skies and haze in the evening sky.
The bridge is colloquially referred as the “Free Bridge” to distinguish it from the Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge (previously the Bushkill Street Bridge), a short distance upstream. It underwent a rehabilitation/improvement project that spanned from late 2021 until spring 2023.
The bridge that connects the two states was completed in 1896 and survived massive flooding from Hurricane Diane in 1955. It underwent a thorough restoration in 1990 and is one of my very favorite places to photograph.
Historic Phillipsburg was established March 8, 1861 and named for William Phillips, an early settler of the area. The historic town of Easton was founded in 1752 and is located at the confluence of the Delaware River and Lehigh River, known as the Forks-Of-The-Delaware. Both are Delaware River Towns.
The Free Bridge can also be seen from across the Delaware River at Delaware Canal State Park, Easton, near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).
Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.
