LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Theo-
dore Burr House in Oxford, New York

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud, representing the people
of the State of New York, to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the
Theodore Burr House in Oxford, New York; and
WHEREAS, The Theodore Burr House, now the Oxford Memorial Library,
marks this most auspicious occasion on Saturday, July 2, 2011, with the
opening of the newly established Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Resource
Center located in the library; and
WHEREAS, The Theodore Burr House is located on the site of an ancient
Indian fort on Fort Hill Park in the picturesque village of Oxford, New
York; and
WHEREAS, Theodore Burr built this Federal style house between
1809-1811; wings were added to both sides of the house at a later date;
and
WHEREAS, Theodore Burr was born in Torringfield, Connecticut, in 1771
and migrated west arriving in Oxford in 1792; by 1794, he had built a
gristmill and the dam to power the mill; and
WHEREAS, Theodore Burr built the first stringer bridge across the
Chenango at Oxford in 1800; he went on to build bridges in New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, experimenting with different
designs until he patented the Burr truss in 1804; and
WHEREAS, Theodore Burr and others used this truss throughout the
Northwest; he was considered one of the dominant bridge builders of his
time and the father of American bridge building; and
WHEREAS, Today modern bridges with their graceful arches can be traced
back to Theodore Burr and his contemporaries; and
WHEREAS, This extraordinary man's home, the Theodore Burr House, was
later occupied by the families of Ira Wilcox, an Oxford merchant, from
1814-1873; a lawyer by the name of Benjamin Cannon occupied the resi-
dence from 1873-1890 before it served as a rectory for St Joseph's
Church until 1899; and
WHEREAS, In 1900, the house with its grounds was dedicated as a free
public library given to Oxford in memory of Eli Lyon Corbin and Abigail
Taintor Corbin by their children; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when events of
historic significance are brought to our attention they should be recog-
nized and celebrated; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Theodore Burr House in Oxford,
New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Oxford Memorial Library.