This Odd New York Traffic Light Is the Only One Like It In the World!
The State of New York is so big it covers more than 54,000 square miles. To put that in perspective, the countries of Luxemburg, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium could all fit inside New York State with a little room to spare.
Even with all that territory and all those people New York managed to have a truly one-of-a-kind attraction. Not just the only one of it's kind in New York but the only upside down traffic light in the world.
If you find yourself at an intersection on the West side of Syracuse you may be lost but you haven't lost your mind. This traffic light displays the green light on top, yellow in the middle and red on the bottom. Welcome to Tipperary Hill, home to the World's only upside down traffic light.
The World's only upside down traffic light can be found at the intersection of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue. Legend has it that this traffic light has been this way since the 1920's, but why?
According to Uncovering New York, several of the Irish residents from the Tipperary Hill neighborhood couldn't stand to see what they considered British red placed above Irish green. In protest, the traffic light was damaged and lights broken with rocks.
This happened so often that the city decided to flip this particular traffic light, placing green on top and red on the bottom in hopes it wouldn't be vandalized anymore. It worked, and remains this way to this day.
This is Tipperary Hill Heritage Memorial, in Syracuse, depicting a family pointing at the upside down traffic light. The child in the memorial has a sling shot. Could that have been what they used in the 20's to break the lights? We may never know for sure.