Remember the Penny Bridge. Once, it was a vital crossing over Newtown Creek. Now, only memories and remnants remain.
The Penny Bridge got its name because a penny was the toll to cross it. Before 1939, people used this movable bridge. It connected Meeker Avenue in Brooklyn to Long Island City.
Imagine Greenpoint before the Kosciuszcko Bridge. The Penny Bridge was essential. It allowed passage over Newtown Creek. In 1939, the original Kosciuszcko Bridge opened. It was even called the New Penny Bridge then. This new bridge made the Penny Bridge obsolete.
Today, the Newtown Creek Alliance cares for the Penny Bridge site. They plant greenery and clean up illegal dumping. There is even a picnic table. The New York City Department of Transportation owns the land. So, in a way, it belongs to all of us.
Walk to the end of Meeker Avenue in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint. That’s where the Penny Bridge once stood. Look eastward. You’ll see the modern Kosciuszcko Bridge. Its lights radiate an otherworldly glow.
The Kosciuszcko Bridge’s lighting package cycles through colors. Yellow, green, blue, purple, and red illuminate the night. Some wonder if there’s a hidden message in the lights. The lights are unbelievably saturated.
Before the Kosciuszcko Bridge, there was also a Penny Bridge station. It served the Long Island Rail Road’s Lower Montauk Branch. The station served local industry and Calvary Cemetery. Before 1939, it served businesses on the Brooklyn side of Newtown Creek.
Penny Bridge station had a complicated history. It opened in 1854 as part of the Flushing Railroad. The station was renamed Calvary Cemetery in 1859. It closed and reopened several times. Finally, it closed permanently in 1998. Low ridership caused the final closure. At the end, it served about one passenger per day.
Consider the layers of history beneath your feet. The Penny Bridge. The Penny Bridge station. Both served their purpose in a different time. Now, they are relics of Brooklyn’s past.
The Penny Bridge may be gone. However, its memory lives on. As you stand here, imagine the people who once crossed this vital link. Think about the penny they paid. Remember the history beneath the modern cityscape.