The 1825 Hyde Hall Covered Bridge was built as part of the 1817-1835 construction of George Clarke's country estate, Hyde Hall located at the northern tip of Otsego Lake near Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York. Built by Cyrenus Clark, Andrew Alden, and Lorenzo Bates, this 53-foot long, single-span structure incorporates the Burr arch design, patented in 1817 by Theodore Burr of Torringford, Connecticut, and still stands in its original location. The Burr truss design was used in thousands of bridges around the country. This bridge is one of three authentic Burr arch truss bridges and one of three horizontal siding in the state. In 2006, it was recognized as the oldest extant wooden covered bridge in the United States with the possible exception of the Hassenplug Bridge in Pennsylvania, also built in 1825.

Hyde Hall Bridge was originally used as a means to cross Shadow Brook and give travelers access to the Hyde Hall Mansion and was used for vehicular traffic but was bypassed in 1965. Presumably, Cyrenus Clark built the bridge as part of Clarke’s Otsego Lake Turnpike, a toll road designed to shorten the travel time between Cooperstown and the Second Great Western Turnpike to Hyde’s north. The three-mile stretch of tollway across Clarke’s property included his covered bridge, a gatehouse, and planked roads and fences.

The bridge and surrounding property were acquired by New York State in 1963 and became part of Glimmerglass State Park. This bridge sits on stone abutments. The total length of the structure is 53-6" with a clear span of 39 feet. The sides are covered on the exterior with narrow clapboards and the gable roof is shingled. End walls over the entrances are covered with horizontal boarding, cut to make elliptical-headed entrances.

Renovations to the bridge were performed by the State of New York in 1967.

Hyde Hall Bridge was registered on the National Register of Historic Places as of December 17, 1998.

Located at:  N42 47.412    W74 51.810     -     WGCB #32-39-01

Photographed in May 2023