Built in 1880 by the King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the Bridge Street Bridge over Sparkill Creek survives as a unique example of a small late 19th-century hand-operated mechanical drawbridge. Its lifting system dates back to drawbridge designs used during the Middle Ages. The bascule span is lifted by steel chains attached to the far corners at one end, with the other ends wrapped around constant-diameter drums or sheaves. Counterweights hang by chains at the towers, wrapping around variable-diameter drums so that each successive wrapping is smaller. The counterweight drums and lifting chain drums are mounted on a common shaft. As the diameter of the counterweight drums gets smaller, the mechanical advantage of the counterweight decreases. In this way, as the bascule span opens, the mechanical advantage needed from the counterweights continues to decrease, a unique characteristic of the bridge. It is unknown whether any other bridges still exist with a similar mechanism. The bridge was operated by a hand crank at the base of the tower, connected to the counterweight and lifting shaft through a gear and pulley system, allowing it to be opened and closed by hand with relatively constant effort. Closed to vehicular traffic in 1991, it was rehabilitated in 2008-2009 to remain an important link to Rockland County's historic heritage.