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Forgot that we had these as well!

Here are some photos of what is left of the bridge. Some of the ironwork has been used to block the old road.

This is where the bridge was located.The west approach is still visible.

This bridge has been replaced with a concrete slab.

Not too many years ago when I was a teenager, (1986 or so) this bridge still had the "draw" portion in place and the entire bridge was wooden. The bridge was open to traffic even though not all of the wood was in place. You would have to travel a piece, stop, get out, and move good wood from behind you to fill holes in front of you so you could advance a little more before repeating the process. A trip across the bridge took a good 15 - 30 minutes. The concrete portion was placed there in the late 80's or early 90's. Around this same time someone took a torch and cut the placard from the bridge...a dying shame!

Well i'm very sorry to report that the Palmer's slough trestle was completely removed. It was tough driving from home to work and back again each day that the work was going on watching the workers dismantling it. Good thing we got some photos of it while it was still around. If the history is correct, it was built in 1901-1902 and would have been well over 100 years old. Some of the main support beams were still in great shape. Only a few were rotted.So long old friend.

This bridge was resurfaced and repainted in late 2005 to mid 2006

For all of you who have 'photographed' this bridge, i AM truly grateful. It was built by my Great Grandfather, William and his brother James Hamilton...of WHOM i know practically 'nothing'!! Recently, I have 'endeavored' to know MORE about these men and their father, John Hamilton, who owned a limestone quarry in Piqua, OH. William and his family 'removed' to Saginaw, MI. which is where I was raised. IF there is ANYBODY 'out' yonder who MIGHT know something OF this family's OHIOAN history......well, it goes without saying, I would be MOST 'appreciative'!!

Thanks EVER so much to ALL of you who have admired and photographed this 'structure'!!

laurie

This bridge has been closed since sometime in 2005. The new bridge was built adjacent to this bridge, and this bridge is now behind a fence and is part of a pasture.

It is still there. I visited it as well as the other 5 in Brown County on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. Why can't the covered bridges be somehow preserved and kept for future generations?

This bridge had a pedestrian walkway in 1990. It was closed in 2007 at time of this photo.

Does anyone know what road this bridge originally carried and the date of when it was abandoned?

YES! AVOID THIS BRIDGE IT'S NOT JUST THE ROAD REPAIRS...IT'S JUST A OLD DANGEROUS BRIDGE! IN APRIL OF 1997 MY SON, SHAWN RUSH WAS KILLED ON THAT BRIDGE! HIS CAR STALLED...AND THERE ISN'T ANY KIND OF SHOULDER OR AREA TO PULL YOUR CAR OVER! A SPEEDING CAB DRIVER SMASHED INTO THE BACK OF HIS CAR AND TIPPED HIM OVER ON HIS SIDE. THEN THE CAB DRIVER TOOK OFF! HE TOOK AWAY A GREAT SON, BROTHER,COUSIN,NEPHEW AND FRIEND!

IF THE NURSE THAT STOPPED TO HELP SHAWN HERE'S ABOUT THIS WEB SITE...PLEASE CONTACT ME, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

SHAWN'S MOM

This is an eye bar Suspension Bridge.

I plan on using the bike lane and so do the thousands of others who are riding on the trails around the area.

During the rehabilitation of this bridge, in the late 90's, there is a story of a man trying to manuever his way from one scaffold to another and ended up falling, boots first, several ft. to the river below. He survived. Mind you this happened at around 10:00pm in November.

Why do they feel the need for a pedestrian/bicycle lane? I really doubt that many people cross that bridge without a car. I crossed McKinley Bridge daily until it closed in Oct. 2001. It was a four-lane bridge and was HEAVILY traveled. Now that it is only a 2-lane bridge, will it be sufficient for rush-hour traffic?

This is a rather short bridge but only because slide canyon is not very wide. It is not really even a canyon, more like a big scar on the side of the mountatin. It drops down at something like 45o. The side of the mountain is pretty step any way but that cut makes it impassible without this bridge.

Webmaster's note: The photos that were here have been incorporated into the main site.

Kudos to Mark Frazier for finding and posting a picture of the original Liberty Bridge over the Missouri River prior to the creation of the current Missouri River channel in that area. I had been able to find scant reference to that old bridge on the Internet previously, let alone a picture. It is truly one of the more (if not most) forgotten Missouri River bridges that once existed (due in large part to the fact that the channel was changed such that the location of this old bridge doesn't cross the current river).

This bridge was rebuilt and repainted in 2005-2006

This bridge is currently being rebuilt.

A new surface is being added and the deck is being redone new

I have read in a book that this bridge was somtimes called

The Kansas City Rock Island Railroad Bridge

in a book that came out not long ago

This bridge is now closed to all traffic.

Pictures taken 11-10-07.

This bridge was near fully submerged the during great flood of 93.

Tom

I visited the steel truss bridge in Brooksburg last week and it's still holding its own. I'll get some pictures posted winthin the next couple of days.

There is a brand new concrete deck bridge here now (11-26-07).

This bridge was closed to severe damage from vandalism. I have the article in the "Blount Countian" that gave specifics, though I don't have it with me. It was something akin to vandals tying a rope to a main beam and the other end to their vehicle and yanking everything out of whack so bad it was and still is unsafe. Unfortunately, I left the article at my mom's, but I will update when I have specifics.

All I can say is it amazes me how mean, spiteful, idiotic, stupid, etc. etc. people can be. Blount County has already lost one historic covered bridge (the Nectar Bridge) to vandals (fire). I can only hope this US record holder (highest covered bridge over water) can be fixed eventually.

I live in Baton Rouge so we never take this route. But I am proud to have the worlds longest bride in my state.

I have spent alot of time on this bridge fishing...lots of great fishing in the springtime especially...often during spring floods, the south approach is under water while the north is dry...

Bridge replaced by through girder span in 2003

If I am correct this bridge was used in a scene of the movie "In the Heat of the Night," during which a prisoner is seen being being chased from "Mississippi" into "Arkansas".

The movie is set in the town of Sparta, Ms., which in the movie the town of Sparta, Il. was where the filming took place.

This is bridge 6533159. It is still there, and it is spectacular. See it quickly, though. It's scheduled to be removed in 2008.

View of the bridge from the bluff near the Amelia Earhart Historic Home in April 2007. The Amelia Earhart Highway bridge is in the background.

Here is a photo of the first bridge from a canoe heading downstream in Aug 2003. We were happy to reach the bridge, it was a long hot pull from Parkville.

From the Corps of Engineers Kansas City District History of the Missouri River Navigation Project "Soundings" published in 1986 -- The cutoff began in 1947. A 10 feet wide by 15 feet channel was cut, with the river expected to erode it to 1,000 feet wide. When completed in 1949, it cutoff 4.7 miles of river channel. The bridge was built before the cuttof began.

I have attached a scan of a postcard I believe is the original bridge to Liberty before the cutoff.

I went over this bridge today. It's in good shape. The road was muddy and I didn't attempt to go farther north. Had to back up the way I came in.

This is a very nice and beautiful bridge. Great architecture.

A couple of photos for your collection. These were both shot for HAER and are in the public domain. photos by James Norman for HAER.

Pictures taken 11-9-07.

Pictures taken 11-9-07.

Pictures taken 11-9-07.

Pictures taken 9-11-07

Pictures taken 9-11-07.

The Woolsey bridge has reopened with a 3 ton weight limit.

East View at Totten Ford Bridge (#1300004)

fairdealing is like 10 mi. from harville

I think this is a pretty bridge and would like to walk on it! bridges fascinate me to no end and I am NOT scared to walk on ANY bridge.My local bridge bounces when semi trucks and buses cross,but ALL steel bridges do this.I checked with MN DOT and it is simply flexing.Ours flexes so hard,it has knocked me on my butt,I continue to walk on it as I am used to it and just hold the rail to keep from falling.It is when they DON'T flex you SHOULD worry,like 35w quit doing before it collapsed.Even wittnessing it's demise didn't really scare me.I feel saddened by it and sad for those poor people!! But it won't kill my fascination for bridges!!My niece LOVES it when we bounce and bugs me for a stroll to "our bridge" by the way-I posted it here! It is under-kettle river bridge #5718.A nice pratt deck truss in a1 condition!!

I saw this bridge back in 1979 when I visited cousins in MO. Since then I've only seen one other in New Hampshire. I live in California and I doubt we have any in this state. I'm glad to see that it and the mill are still standing. I will have to share this picture with my brother who was with me on that trip.

What was the purpose of this bridge when they first built it? Did they know it would become a historic landmark?

Here are two old, undated photos of the bridge, each of which is in very poor condition. Handwritten on the back of each print is the following: "Morrow River Bridge near Jefferson City, Mo."

Webmaster's note: The photos that were here have been incorporated into the main site.

Hooray! The Silver Bridge is back open as of Firday the 9th of November 2007. There wasn't much of a ceremony, but the local newspaper The Spectator was there and did a story on it in the Nov.14th, 2007 edition.

There is now a new weight limit of 3 tons or 6000 pounds for the bridge. Hopefully people will abide by it so as to prolong it's life a little longer.

Long Live the Silver Bridge!

When was this bridge decomissioned and closed to auto traffic?

Why is it classified as "Structurally Deficient?"

Why did it receive a sufficiency rating of 10.1/100?

Where can I go to find all of this information?

Thank you.

Here is a scan of a post card of the bridge before the second bridge was added.

Another one bites the dust! After a long fight by locals, the Bear Creek Bridge is being replaced by a modern bridge. When I saw it the flooring and plaques had been removed, preparatory to demolition.

This was one of the most picturesque bridges in the county. It was in a country setting, where is crossed the millpond above the dam at the site of one of the earliest gristmills in the county. The mill is gone but the dam remains. I am deeply saddened by the demise of this bridge.

I drove this road recently. This bridge is actually a Warren welded.

I have pix.

Is it strange to miss an old bridge? Sure wish I could have gotten more pictures of it. I could have gotten the old plaque that was broken off the year before it was brought down, but someone beat me to it. I did manage to retrieve a little piece of the bridge. It was the only thing I could pick up out of the pile. It's hanging on a nail in my barn. Plan on engraving the bridge's name and dates on it. I brushed it off a little bit and found that before it was painted silver, it was orange. Would've liked to seen that.

Been across this bridge a few times on my motorcycle. It's a neat stretch of old 60.

it was open since 1912. two lane on traffic and parking lot on bridge. it was destruction date late summer 2004. it was new four lane and open on traffic. no parking on the bridges anymore. THANK YOU.

According to the 1897 Sanborn map of Little Rock, this bridge was the first main street bridge which was replaced by the lost seven-span open-spandrel arch bridge that was replaced in 1973.

It's great that the bridge is being rebuilt, especially in the light of the projected -up -to one Billion dollar price tag of a new bridge.

It's just too bad that the McKinley doesn't go anywhere worthwhile, especially heading East.

The old abutment pictured is for the old Union Pacific railroad grade. You can follow it for about a mile where it meets up with the current track

This bridge is in really sad shape. As of today, they have put orange barrels along the rails because the curbing is gone and all the rebar is visible. Just to the north you can see an old bridge abutment for the Union Pacific railroad.

You can see some of the ironwork of one of the approches just east of Rothville on Chariton county road E.

They moved the road a few years ago but the abutments are still there.

I ¢¾ this Bridge ...I did my report on it...

I ¢¾ this Bridge ...I did my report on it...

Pictures taken 10-01-2006

James,

Thanks for sharing the information on these bridges.

The picture is misleading. The bridge is a metal truss. The approach spans area Pratt through trusses and the turn span is a Warren through truss. The wood seen on the pratts are supports for the roadway deck on top of the bridge. The roadway is the reason for the extra wood piers under the pratts. The roadway was removed around 1900 and the bridge stayed intacted until the late 1960s when the turnspan was replaced as part of the Arkansas River Nav. Project.

I might note too that this bridge is one of the 3 Daniel Luten designed bridges in Cass County, built to replace structures lost in the great flood of 1913.

This is known as the old "Cass Station Bridge". Bridge is a popular fishing spot, when it is mowed that is. I live a half mile away and use the bridge occasionally while biking. There is a hole forming on the South side of the bridge about 30 feet from the South approach on the West side of the bridge next to the sidewall. Vegetation grows very well over the old asphalt, as seen in the photos above. Check out the huge rock formation, the Council Rock, off of the old road that ends at the South bridge approach. This was a Indian gathering place, as well as French traders, who noted it's unusual appearance way back in the 1700's. The Cass Station moniker comes from the old Interuban line that at one time passed just North of the bridge, featuring a station stop nearby called of course Cass Station. The old ROW for that line is now "Coonhunter's Road". CR 600 East will be under reconstruction starting Spring 2008, lasting until November 2008, so be aware. The bridges will be uneffected.

This bridge is one of 3 in our county designed by Daniel Luten, an early 20th century bridge designer from Indiana who had taught at Purdue. The others are the CR 600 East Bridge over the Wabash(single lane, closed, newer structure beside it), the the 3rd Street/Indiana 17 bridge over the Eel River in Downtown Logansport. All three were built to replace structures lost in the great flood of 1913. The Lewisburg bridge is being widened to two 12 foot lanes instead of the old single lane it had before. Locals have had only one way out of their town since it's closure. The newer structure mentioned in a previous comment is the US 24 Hoosier Heartland Corridor and was responsible for closing one of the original 3 byways into Lewisburg as that road was excavated and dead ended when preparing the approaches for the US 24 bridges. The Lewisburg bridge has hit a snag as of November 2007 because the contractor has asked for an extension and the county is recommending the state turn their request down. Here is a link to the local newspapers story, http://www.pharostribune.com/local/local_story_313190703.html

In case it is not available for future use, here is the copied and pasted story.

Lewisburg bridge completion delayed

County recommending that INDOT deny contractor’s request for extension.

by Kevin Lilly

Residents and visitors of Lewisburg will have to wait up to seven months longer to cross the bridge into town over the Wabash River.

Jack Isom Construction, the contractor restoring the Lewisburg bridge, failed to complete the project on time, reportedly because of weather conditions, and has asked for an extension until June 30, 2008. The bridge was scheduled to be finished Oct. 31.

Cass County Engineer Jodi Coblentz informed the commissioners on Monday that the highway department is fighting to get the extension request denied because officials believe Jack Isom Construction did not take all possible measures to ensure the project was completed on time.

“They are still working, but it’s still the same slow crew that we’ve had all summer,” Coblentz told commissioners.

At the meeting, Commissioner Steve Kain asked about weather and if it was possible to complete the bridge this year.

“It’s not so much the weather,” Coblentz said. “It’s just they have so much to do.”

Isom has yet to provide a sample of the custom concrete balusters for the bridge railing. The design and material must match 1913 style and get approved. Coblentz said they have been waiting over a year, and a bridge with no railing cannot be used.

“Without the bridge rails we cannot let traffic over it,” Coblentz said.

The bridge requires more than 800 balusters, none of which are installed.

Isom Construction has completed the north portion of deck on the bridge and a majority of the underneath. A crew is pouring concrete for the south portion of deck this week.

The $2 million project is 75.6 percent complete, according to the most recent progress report.

The company’s primary reason for being behind schedule is high water levels, cold temperatures and snow.

“This severely limited our ability to perform pier reconstruction or temporary supports,” wrote Bill Isom in the request letter dated Oct. 26.

From Nov. 13, 2006, through June 4, Isom Construction only worked a handful of hours, according to the request letter from the contractor.

“I have two of the best foreman in the state working this project but because of the restrictions due to design, water levels, cold temperature and redesign that were not within our control, I am asking for an extension to the completion date,” Isom wrote.

Coblentz said she saw this coming.

“We knew they weren’t going to meet it, but their schedule said they were,” Coblentz said. “They just didn’t follow their schedule.”

The county sent a letter to the Indiana Department of Transportation explaining why the extension should not be granted. INDOT has yet to respond, according to Coblentz.

In the meantime, project supervisor Casey Lynch responded to Jack Isom Construction in a letter dated Nov. 5 stating the extension to the contract would not be granted at this time. Lynch, who is employed by both the county and INDOT as quality control, instructed Isom what to include if he resubmitted the request.

The company is expected to explain why the project was scheduled to begin Sept. 5, 2006, but no one showed up to work on it until 61 days later. The county also wants to know what measures will be taken to regain those days and complete the project in a timely manner.

Currently payment is being withheld until a “complete and realistic” work schedule is submitted. Also, Jack Isom Construction began incurring liquidated damages at a rate of $1,500 per day on Nov. 1, which will accumulate until an extension is granted.

INDOT is aware of the contractor’s request. As of Thursday morning, they had not responded.

Besides inconvenience to residents, the delay is increasing the cost of the project, which is a big concern, says Coblentz.

Restoring the bridge is paid for through 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent local bridge funds. Most engineering on the project was paid for with a transportation enhancement grant, which is used for historic bridges.

INDOT and the county will likely pass the extra expense along to Isom Construction, Coblentz said.

In September 2005, a portion of the 94-year-old span fell into the Wabash. The bridge is 452 feet long and has not been repaired since 1986. The restoration is designed to add at least 50 years of life to the bridge.

One of three

Engineers want to preserve the character of the 1913 bridge because of its historic significance.

“We’re restoring it to as close to as original 1913 as possible,” Coblentz said.

The Lewisburg bridge is the oldest of three Luten bridges remaining in the county and one of only 51 statewide. The other two are the old Cass Station Road Bridge over the Wabash, just west of the existing bridge on 600E, and the Third Street Bridge over the Eel River in Logansport.

The Luten arch was designed by Daniel Luten, an early 20th century bridge designer from Indiana who taught at Purdue University.

Coblentz said the Lewisburg bridge is endorsed by the National Landmark Historical Society, the National Registry of Historic Places and Historic Bridges of Indiana.

Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com

Photos taken 8-13-05

I am glad Judge Hall has had time to think about it and change his mind. I would like to change my mind also and retract all my negative comments made here.

Just in case anyone is wondering. The reconstruction that took place on this bridge was done after a terrible flood. A Trailer(manufactured home) washed down the Sylamore Creek and absolutely destroyed it. The only thing there was the cables going down into the water and a huge pile of debris. I was about 14 at the time and tried to climb across the wreckage and fell about 15 feet to the water below. It was almost completely rebuilt and was in working condition the last time I was there. The bridge is located in the Holiday Travel Park. My Family owns all the surruonding property and it has been a cherished landmark to me for as long as I can remember. The Mountain View area has always been one of the most beautiful areas in the world to me but then again,what is my basis for comparison? Memphis?

Photos taken 10-22-2007

07/15/07

11/3/07. In better light.

I rode a motorcycle over that bridge many times, always made me nervous.

i went to stuckey's bridge friday night (November 9 at like 11 pm) and nothing happened. i was at a birthday party and her mom scared us really bad by getting 2 people to scare us... other than that nothing happened. when i heard about it i didnt want to go but i went with them and nothing happened. its stupid so if you think its haunted then go and see if you die cause he might have been hung on the bridge but there is no such things as ghosts... so STOP thinking there is!! i get scared at stuff like that but im not thinking... here's some things you can think about...

1. there's no such thing as ghosts

2. God is always with you whether you die or not

Just thought you might like to see a shot I took on this bridge in the late 1960's. Of course as a young man I was more interested in it being an interesting background for my photo of the girl.

11/04/07

11/04/07

11/04/07

11/04/07

11/04/07

11/04/07

10/28/07

10/28/07

10/28/07

10/28/07

11/4/07 Bridge is closed

11/04/07 Bridge is closed

11/04/07

8/11/07

I was just at the bridge October 28th. We walked the bridge with the fourth generation Kliethermes'. I hope Mrs. Wills knows a way to save this bridge, if not for anything but the view and the memories. The bridge is getting into worse condition due to lack of repair. My uncle has repaired the broken boards himself for years, but since it is scheduled to be torn down he hasn't done any repairs. A few new boards and this bridge would definitely be OK for walking traffic. Thank you for all the comments, my grandfather would be surprised to see how many people care about "his" bridge.

This would be an attempt to speculate "Where is this bridge NOW??"

When the Arkansas River Navigation program was going on, almost all bridges across the Arkansas River in the navigation channel had to be replaced, or rarely, raised to allow for the future barge traffic. We think we know that this bridge was composed of trusses from the pre-1913 Frisco railroad bridge spanning the Arkansas river at Van Buren. At least the trusses appear to be identical in style.

Of course the navigation project required this bridge to be replaced. The question is, what became of the trusses then? It was common for steel truss style bridge elements to be reused. Indeed the Morrilton Bridge trusses were "used" when the Morrilton bridge was installed. I think "maybe" I have found one of the smaller pratt style trusses that composed the Fort Smith entrance to this former railroad bridge. It is located on a county road in Oklahoma, about 30 miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Since this "may" have been an Arkansas bridge at one point I am attaching a photo. Also I am attaching an old postcard view of the Frisco bridge looking from the Fort Smith side, so you can compare the construction of the trusses. The lattice work from the portals is missing, replaced with simple portal braces.

This was originally a wooden truss bridge with a swing span. Railroad traffic went thru the truss, and vehicle traffic on top of the truss.

Attached is a photo of the original bridge under construction.

As far as my buddy and I can determine, this bridge is no more. Gone. On CR 700, there is a new concrete stringer bridge now. I would love to be proved wrong, however we did drive down all surrounding roads just to be sure.