<P> Contemporaries marveled at what technology was capable of, and the bridge became a symbol of the optimism at the time of construction . John Perry Barlow wrote in the late 20th century of the "literal and genuinely religious leap of faith" embodied in the Brooklyn Bridge--"the Brooklyn Bridge required of its builders faith in their ability to control technology". </P> <P> References to "selling the Brooklyn Bridge" abound in American culture, sometimes as examples of rural gullibility but more often in connection with an idea that strains credulity . For example, "If you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you ." George C. Parker and William McCloundy are two early 20th - century con - men who had (allegedly) successfully perpetrated this scam on unwitting tourists . The 1949 Bugs Bunny cartoon "Bowery Bugs" is also a joking reference to Bugs "selling" a story of the Brooklyn Bridge to a naive tourist . </P> <P> A bronze plaque is attached to one of the bridge's anchorages, which was constructed on a piece of property occupied by a mansion, the Samuel Osgood House, at 1 Cherry Street in Manhattan . It served as the first Presidential Mansion, housing George Washington, his family, and household staff from April 23, 1789 to February 23, 1790, when New York City was the national capital . Its owner, Samuel Osgood, a Massachusetts politician and lawyer, married Maria Bowne Franklin, widow of Walter Franklin, the New York merchant who built it in 1770 . Washington occupied the structure a week before his 1789 inauguration as first President of the United States . In addition to living quarters, the Osgood House contained the President's private office and the public business office, making it the first seat of the executive branch of the federal government . </P> <P> "Love locks" is a practice by which a couple inscribes a date and their initials onto a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the water as a sign of their "everlasting love". Although the origin of the practice is unknown, it is more popular in Europe, where more than 20 countries have at least one city with a similar location . It has reportedly caused damage to certain bridges and is officially illegal in New York City . Workers periodically remove the love locks from the bridge . </P>

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