Old Appleton Bridge
Photos
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View from southwest |
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View from northwest |
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View from northeast |
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View from southeast |
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Bridge and milldam |
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South portal |
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North portal |
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Plaque H.W. Sebastian & Co. Builders St. Louis, Mo. 18 79 |
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Behind north portal |
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Upper chord hip joint |
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Joint along upper chord |
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Overhead bracing |
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Lower chord endpost joint |
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Lower chord eyebars |
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Looking down at lower chord joint |
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Underneath main span |
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Center pier |
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North abutment |
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Standing on pony truss |
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Pony truss outriggers |
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Pony truss upper joint |
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Underneath pony truss |
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The crowd |
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Blessing |
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Ribbon cutting |
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Parade of horses |
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Antique car returning across the bridge |
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Bunting and decorations |
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View from the Highway 61 bridge |
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View from below the mill dam |
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December 4: Deck almost finished Nancy Matteoni was probably one of the first people to walk across the newly laid wooden deck. The next two photos were also taken by Nancy Matteoni. |
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December 4: Standing on the bridge |
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December 4: View of the old mill dam This scene is likely to be photographed by countless future visitors. |
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November 19: Overview By mid-November, the bridge superstructure is finished, leaving only the wooden deck to install |
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November 19: South approach |
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October 30: Side view These next four photos were taken by Nancy Matteoni |
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October 30: Deck view from north |
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October 30: View from northwest |
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October 30: Underneath |
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September 23: The big day During the afternoon of Sept. 23, the main span was hoisted into position. One end was floated across the creek on a small barge. In this photo, the crane operator is yanking the barge out of the water. |
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September 23: South portal |
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August 7: Main span preparations After sitting neglected on the ground for several years, the main span starts to receive some attention, with a new coat of paint and other repairs. |
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August 7: Pony trusses |
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Side view |
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Portal |
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View from south |
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Stone piers |
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South abutment |
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North abutment |
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Pile of damaged girders |
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HABS photo This photo from the Historic American Buildings Survey shows the bridge and mill dam as they originally looked in 1939 |
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Postcard |
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Old Appleton Bridge at Christmas Time Photo taken by John Christeson in December 2008 |
Facts
- Overview
- Wrought-iron through truss bridge over Apple Creek on Main Street in Old Appleton
- Status
- Open to pedestrians and bicyclists only
- History
- Built 1879 by H.W. Sebastian & Co. of St. Louis; washed away by flash flood on December 3, 1982; reconstructed 2005
- Builder
- - H.W. Sebastian & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri
- Design
- From north to south:
Two pin-connected, 3-panel Pratt pony trusses
One pin-connected, 9-panel wrought-iron Pratt through truss - Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.59771, -89.71327 (decimal degrees)
37°35'52" N, 89°42'48" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/260463/4164643 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Oak Ridge
- Inventory number
- BH 21116 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- December 30, 2008: New photo from John Christeson
- April 24, 2006: Posted photos from the dedication ceremony
Sources
- HABS MO-1323 - Apple Creek Mill
- Nancy Matteoni - matteoni1 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- John Christeson - john_christeson [at] yahoo [dot] com
Comments
Hello. Both of my parents were born and raised in Old Appleton. My great-uncle owned the brewery before McGovern bought it. My Grandpa owned the saloon. We use to go fishing in the creek. We'd walk across the bridge, seemed everytime there was a car that had to cross. The memories that I and my 2 brothers have, are some of the most wonderful and happiest memories of our lives. God Bless all who care about Old Appleton.
My grandpa used to live next to the post office and we used to swim and jump off the old bridge back in the 70's. My kids and I still go there from time to time and I am so glad they finally got the new bridge up. It hasn't been the same without a bridge connecting the two halves of the town.
Thank God and all those who helped for making sure it was a replica and not an ugly concrete eyesore.
I just got back a few minutes ago from the bridge. As children, our families had cabins on the "creek". We went through several floods and survived them all. The last time I visited the area was before my mother died. She wanted to see what "was left after the flood". I wished she could be around today to see your new bridge. What a wonderful job you all did. Thank you. A few tears fell while I stood looking and remembering. Van's Tavern looks the same but much worn with age. As a child, I made the local paper along with my friend when we wrecked our mini bike motorcycles on the bridge.
Again thank you. GREAT JOB!!!
Thank goodness MODOT didn't get their hands on this one. I remember riding across this bridge as a kid. It is really something special to see it back where it belongs.