Bridge Builder in Petticoats: Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge (A Costumed Presentation by Carol Simon Levin) On December 12, 1881, people in New York City would have witnessed a strange sight. High above the East River, a line of men in business suits were cautiously walking along a narrow path of wooden boards laid down across the open steel frame of a huge unfinished bridge. Strangest of all, the line was led by a woman, her long skirt billowing in the wind as she showed them details of the construction. When they reached the New York side, everyone toasted her with champagne. It was the first official crossing of what would be called the Brooklyn Bridge. Many books and films have featured the Brooklyn Bridge and many people in New Jersey have crossed it. Built between 1869 and 1883, without modern machines or even electric light, it was the one of the most amazing technological achievements of its time. Yet few people know that a woman helped supervise much of its construction. After her husband became bedridden, Emily Roebling became his liaison to the project – eventually communicating with the engineers and suppliers on the project so well that it was even rumored that she had become the Chief Engineer herself! At the time of her death, she was called “one of the most distinguished women in the country” and “the most famous woman in New Jersey” – yet today most people don’t even know her name!
DATE: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 TIME: 1:30 PM COST: $8/ JCCMC member; $11/ Non-member Sorry, No Refunds Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County 1775 Oak Tree Road Edison, New Jersey 08820 732-494-3232 www.jccmc.org