Upside-down traffic lights

New York: Syracuse – Upside-down traffic lights

One of the more discoveries we made on our visit to New York’s Finger Lakes Region was all things, a set of traffic lights in Syracuse. Of course, traffic lights are a common sight in this city but these are upside-down – green on the top and red at the bottom!

When the city of Syracuse started to put in traffic lights they put some at the intersection of Tompkins St. and Milton Ave, deep in the part of town where most of the Irish community were based. This community didn’t like the fact that the red light, which they associated with the British sat over the green light – the colour of their homeland, Ireland.

The story goes that the young folks within the Irish community were so incensed that they started to through rocks at the red light, smashing it! The City of course, replaced the red lamps, but once again they were smashed. Eventually, the City gave in and inverted the lights, so the green light appears above the red.

Now the green-over-red stoplight is a cultural touchstone for the Tipperary Hill community. On the intersection, there is a small memorial park with a Dexter Benedict statue of an Irish-immigrant family to memorialize the original group of stone throwers: Jocko Behan, Richie Britt, James “Duke” Coffey, Patrick “Packy” Corbett, Kenny Davis, George Dorsey, Mikis Murphy, Stubbs Shortt and Eugene Thompson.

If you happen to be passing through Syracuse then is worth a short detour to see this unusual piece of local history.

The upside-down traffic lights in Syracuse, New York
The upside-down traffic lights in Syracuse
Slightly bizzare but you have too look twice to realise something unusal is happening - Upside-down traffic lights, Tipperary Hill, Syracuse, New York
Slightly bizzare but you have too look twice to realise something unusal is happening - Upside-down traffic lights at Tipperary Hill,
The small but perfectly formed Tipperary Hill Memorial Park (right at the intersection with the traffic lights) - Syracuse
The small but perfectly formed Tipperary Hill Memorial Park (right at the intersection with the traffic lights)

Planning your visit to Tipperary Hill traffic lights

Address:106-14 Burnet Park Dr, Syracuse, NY 13204
DirectionsWest side of the city, in a residential neighborhood, at the intersection of Tompkins St. and Milton Ave. The “Stonethrowers” statue is on the northeast corner.

Sign up to receive updates

We keep your data private and share your data only with third parties that make this service possible. See our Privacy Policy for more information.

More to Explore

New York: New York City – Central Park
Central Park is familiar to many people, even if they have never been to the City. It has been the location for many TV series and movies. To the locals, it is an escape away from the concrete and noise of Manhattan and to visitors, its lakes, bridges and hidden paths are a welcome change.
New York: New York City – The High Line
From 1934 to 1980 an elevated rail line, now called the High Line, connecting the rail yards of mid-town Manhattan to an industrial district along the lower West Side of Manhattan. Constructed 30 feet above the ground, it avoided dangerous street crossings and routed between 10th and 11th streets in its more northern sections the railway avoided association with the unpopular elevated sections of New York's subway system. Completed in September 2014, the third and final section loops around the Hudson Yards located between West 30th and West 34th Streets. The aerial greenway now measures 1.45 miles
The South Pool, sitting on the site of the South Tower of the World Trade Center - 9/11 Memorial, New York City
New York: New York City – 9/11 Memorial & Museum
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum lay in the footprint of the twin towers of the World Trade Center that was attacked by terrorists deliberately flying aircraft into these buildings on September 11, 2001. Two additional aircraft were hijacked, one crashing into the Pentagon and the second brought down in a field by the brave efforts of the passengers on board. In total, nearly 3000 people lost their lives. The memorial and museum provide a place to contemplate and document what happened on that tragic day in 2001.
Back To Top
Search

Discover more from Hoblets On The Go

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading