Finding History in Your Backyard: An Interview with Satolli Glassmeyer

Satolli Glassmeyer doing a segment at one of the stone arch bridges for HYB. 

Have you found something that was small and unnoticeable from the outside but you find high historic value in that you want to document on it? It could be a ghost town, abandoned church, a historic bridge that is closed or even a historic site that is open but doesn’t receive enough attention to get any notice?  How would you document it: in print form, video, online, or a combination of the mentioned items?  History is an underrated commodity where even the most popular places are sometimes ignored and hidden jewels that have high historic value are forgotten- buried under a pile of dirt representing time, until someone discovers it and want to talk about it.

Someone like Satolli Glassmeyer, the creator of History in Your Backyard (HYB).  Launched in 2014, HYB is an online portal where videos on artefacts of the past can be found, be it abandoned school houses and churches, memorials commemorating history or in this case, historic bridges, which are disappearing in vast numbers every year.  Much of the coverage has been between Chicago and Cleveland, for Mr. Glassmeyer originates from Cincinnati, Ohio and spent much of his childhood visiting many spots in the vicinity (and later beyond).

But how was HYB conceived and how successful has it been since its launch?  The Chronicles did an interview with Mr. Glassmeyer and found out some interesting details about HYB and the direction it’s going in the future.  Here’s what I found out about him and HYB’s successes. Please note that some video examples from HYB are included for you to watch.

 

1. I wanted to start off by asking you what motivated you to starting this video program?

This  is  kind  of  a  long  story  but  here  we  go….When  I  was  a  teenager  back  in  the  mid  1970s  I  had  zero  interest  in  history  such  as  the  War  of  1812  or  the  Magna  Carta.  However  I  was  a  huge  bicycle  enthusiast  riding  my  bike  at  least  10 miles  a  day  and  then  typically  doing  75-100  mile  bike  rides  on  a  Saturday  or  Sunday.  My  longer  weekend  trips  would  take  me  through  small  towns  where  I  began  to  fall  in  love  with  the  buildings  and  bridges  constructed  in  the  late  1800s  and  early  1900s.  I  was  fascinated  with  what  was  built  back  then  and  with  what  little  they  had  to  work  with  compared  to  the  modern  construction  equipment  that  we  have  today.

 

When  I  was  18  I  bought  my  first  car,  a  1970  AMX  which  was  also  another  passion  of  mine.  About  a  year  later  I  formed  an  AMX  club  in  the  greater  Cincinnati  area  which  eventually  included  20-25 owners  of  these  unique  automobiles.  We  would  get  together  once  a  month  and  have  events  for  the  club.  Some  of  the  “older  guys”  in  their  30s  and  40s  taught  us  younger  guys  how  to  do  “road  rallies”  which  is  basically  a  scavenger  hunt  using  an  automobile.  Once  again  I  fell  in  love  with  the  road  rally  concept  and  did  quite  a  few  for  the  club  as  a  hobby  until  I  turned  it  into  a  business  in  the  late  1990s  called  Scenic  Road  Rallies.  With  the  rallies,  I  found  that  I  was  able  to  take  my  passion  for  fast  automobiles  and  combine  it  with  my  passion  for  historic  structures.  In  the  direction  packets  that  I  handed  out  for  each  road  rally  event  I  included  a  few  short  lines  about  each  historic  building  the  teams  would  pass  or  each  bridge  they  would  cross  over.

 

The  teams  enjoyed  the  short  history  lessons  but  asked  for  more  information  on  these  sites.  Information  that  they  could  use  on  their  own  time  without  having  to  do  a  road  rally  event.  So  in  2011  I  began  producing  driving  booklets  that  I  sold  which  were  basically  guided  road  tours  spelling  out  in  detail  (With  pictures)  all  of  the  historic  buildings  and  bridges  along  the  route.  I  put  myself  on  a  strict  schedule  of  producing  one  driving  tour  booklet  a  month  until  after  2  years  I  had  accumulated  a  small  24  volume  library  of  tour  guides.

 

Unfortunately  the  booklets  didn’t  sell  as  expected.  A  couple  of  friends  pointed  out  that  people  don’t  read  much  anymore  and  videos  now  seem  to  be  the  way  most  people  get  their  information.  I  gave  it  some  thought,  then  when  out  and  bought  a  cheap  video  camera,  named  my  new  company  History  In  Your  Own  Backyard  and  went  off  to  document  the  forgotten  historic  structures  in  the  region.  That’s  basically  how  we  arrived  at  this  point  in  time.

 

2. How are your historic places selected? Based on personal visit, personal request or both?

Since  this  is  a  business,  I  typically  don’t  choose  the  site,  the  client  makes  the  selection  be  it  a  church,  a  bridge  or  a  cemetery.  If  I  have  time  after  the  clients  shoot,  I  will  go  out  and  film  other  obscure  sites  such  as  bridges  that  I’m  sure  no  client  will  pay  for  yet  needs  to  be  documented  for  future  generations.

 

3. What is all involved in the filming process?

 

It’s  a  fairly  involved  process  to  film  a  site.  I  have  a  check  list  of  29  points  that  need  to  be  addressed  to  get  a  video  from  start  to  finish.  Beginning  with  discussing  the  potential  project  with  the  sponsor  to  contacting  the  local  newspaper  after  the  video  is  released  so  that  they  can  write  a  story  about  the  video  project.

 

 

4. How do you collect the information on your historic artifact?

 

This  is  basically  the  sponsors  responsibility.  However  if  I  am  doing  a  video  on  a  site  of  my  choosing,  the  research  process  can  entail  online  searches,  books,  personal  interviews,  etc.  Each  project  is  different  when  it  comes  to  an  information  source  and  history  is  always  muddy.  No  matter  how  much  research  you  do,  once  the  video  is  produced,  someone  will  say  “you’re  wrong”.  So  you  just  have  to  do  your  best  and  keep  an  open  mind  that  not  everything  you  read  or  see  is  accurate.

 

5. Many videos on bridges are between a half hour and an hour. Yours are between 3-5 minutes on average, with some being only 10 minutes.  Why so short?

 

Good  question!  My  video  style  is  much  different  from  traditional  videos.

Everyday  around  the  world  we  lose  historic  buildings  and  bridges  to  fire,  flood,  storms,  neglect,  progress,  civil  unrest,  war,  earthquakes,  etc.  Nothing  lasts  forever  and  it’s  important  to  me  to  document  these  structures  as  quickly  as  possible  before  they  are  lost  forever.  My  goal  is  to  produce  10,000  documentaries  before  I  die.  Right  now  I  have  about  420  documentaries  completed  which  means  even  if  I  produce  a  documentary  every  day  from  here  on  out,  I  still  have  over  26  years  of  work  ahead  of  me.  I’m  62  now  so  I’m  basically  running  out  of  time  here.

 

I  produce  short  documentaries  for  a  couple  of  reasons:

One  is  that  statistically  speaking  most  people  who  watch  a  video  on  YouTube  (Where  all  of  my  videos  are  featured)  only  watch  about  4  minutes  of  a  video  before  they  click  off  and  move  on  to  the  next  selection.  If  you  produce  a  relatively  short  video  you  have  a  better  chance  of  having  the  video  completely  viewed  to  the  end  and  a  better  chance  of  having  the  viewer  share  that  video  with  their  friends  and  family.  Longer  videos  are  rarely  watched  completely  and  it’s  even  rarer  for  them  to  be  shared.  The  whole  idea  behind  my  project  is  to  get  as  many  eyes  on  these  videos  as  possible  so  that  people  will  sit  up  and  take  notice  of  these  structures  and  possibly  save  them  for  future  generations.  My  videos  are  not  designed  to  be  entertainment  but  rather  peak  peoples  interest  so  that  they  get  in  their  car  and  go  out  to  look  at  the  site.

Video  production  isn’t  cheap  and  is  very  time  consuming.  When  it  comes  to  my  videos,  for  every  one  minute  of  video  you  see,  it  takes  about  1  hour  of  research,  shooting  video  and  editing  to  complete  the  job.  So  a  5  minute  video  may  take  about  5  hours  while  a  30  minute  video  could  take  30  hours  or  more.

 

Secondly,  I’m  trying  to  do  this  project  as  cheaply  as  possible  so  that  anyone  who  wants  a  video  can  afford  it.  I  produce  these  videos  at  about  1/3  the  going  rate  of  a  typical  video  production  company.  Mainly  because  I  have  very  little  overhead,  a  small  crew  and  I’m  pretty  damn  good  at  keeping  costs  down. I  charge  between  $399.00  and  $1899.00  to  produce  a  video  depending  on  the  site,  location  and  needs  of  the  client.

A  50  minute  long  documentary  you  might  see  on  PBS  can  take  years  to  produce  using  an  army  of  people  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. I  know  someone  that  produced  a  documentary  for  PBS  using  just  grants.  The  documentary  turned  out  great  but  took  5  years  to  make  and  over  $120,000.00.  I  personally  don’t  have  the  time  to  mess  around  for  3,  4  or  5  years  to  produce  one  indepth  video.

 

I  know  of  a  tourism  bureau  who  had  a  local  TV  station  produce  a  60  second  video  on  the  sights  and  sounds  of  their  town.  The  project  cost  them  $6,000.00  ($100.00  per  second)  and  all  they  received  was  a  DVD  of  the  project.  It  was  never  shown  on  TV.  It  was  for  their  own  personal  use.  Not  many  of  my  clients  have  $6,000.00  to  spend  on  a  60  second  video  so  that’s  where  I  come  into  play  with  a  decent  quality  video  at  a  very  reasonable  price  which  will  be  viewed  by  thousands  of  people.

 

6. Aside from Youtube, how are your videos published?

 

Yes,  my  videos  can  be  found  on  YouTube  under  the  History  In  Your  Own  Backyard  channel.  All  of  those  videos  are  linked  to  my website  database  where  the  videos  are  broken  down  by  State/County/Town  and  also  include  a  map  to  show  the  location  of  the  site.  (By clicking onto the two highlighted links, you will be redirected to their respective sites) All  of  the  schools  in  the  county  where  the  video  was  shot  and  all  of  the  schools  in  the  surrounding  counties  are  sent  a  link  to  the  video  so  that  the  history  teachers  can  share  it  with  their  students.  All  of  the  mayors  and  council  members  in  the  county  where  the  video  was  shot  and  all  of  the  council  members  in  the  surrounding  counties  are  sent  a  link  to  the  video  so  that  they  can  share  it  with  their  residents.  The  video  is  placed  on  a  Google  Maps  page  where  you  can  click  on  any  of  the  420+  pinpoints  to  see  a  video  in  that  exact  location.  Eventually  all  of  the  videos  will  be  archived  in  the  state  libraries  where  they  were  shot  so  that  future  generations  can  look  back  to  see  what  existed  in  2019.  I  did  contact  the  Library  of  Congress  regarding  these  videos  being  archived  but  that  was  very  early  on  in  the  project.  I  was  asked  to  contact  the  department  later  after  I  had  a substantial  number  of  videos  produced.  When  I  hit  the  500  mark  next  year,  I’ll  reach  back  out  to  them.

 

7. How many  people  are  on  your  staff?

 

My  direct  staff  is  just  me  and  the  two  cats.  However  I  do  have  a  couple  of  interviewers  that  work  for  me  directly  on  the  videos  shoots.  So  in  a  nutshell,  I  do  just  about  everything,  sales,  research,  shooting  video,  editing  video  and  the  archiving  process.

 

 

 

8. Give me your top three favorite historic bridges that you’ve filmed?

 

Tough  question  Jason!  In  no  particular  order:

 

The  Triple  Whipple  Bridge  near  Aurora,  Indiana  is  high  on  my  list.  As  someone  else  said,  she’s  the  Queen  Mary  of  all  bridges!  Beautiful,  tall,  restored  and  the  only  one  of  it’s  kind  still  standing.  The  bridge  is  only  about  15  miles  from  my  home  so  I  get  to  see  her  fairly  often.

Film on the bridge:

The  Dresden  Suspension  Bridge  in  Dresden,  Ohio  is  a  favorite  that  we  just  covered  this  year  with  the  Ohio  Historic  Bridge  Association.  A  beautiful  bridge  that  is  easily  viewed.

Film on the bridge:

Finally  the  Crosley  Bridge  in Jennings  County,  Indiana.  A  private  steel  truss  bridge  built  by  Powel  Crosley,  the  bridge  is  extremely  narrow  and  hidden  deep  in  the  woods  via  a  dirt  road.

Film on the bridge:

 

9. What historic bridge do you regret seeing demolished?

 

Definitely  it  was  the  Cedar  Grove  Bridge  in  Cedar  Grove,  Indiana.  Long  story  short,  I  was  part  of  a  group  who  tried  to  save  this  bridge  from  demolition.  The  State  of  Indiana  offered  to  give  our  group  the  money  they  would  pay  for  the  demolition  if  we  could  find  a  local  government  entity  who  would  take  ownership  of  the  bridge  for  30  seconds  while  signing  the  bridge  over  to  us  where  it  would  be  refurbished  and  turned  into  a  park  for  the  locals.  Unfortunately  the  town  council  in  Cedar  Grove  and  the  Franklin  County  Commissioners  had  zero  interest  in  seeing  the  bridge  survive.  After  a  2+  year  fight  to  save  the  bridge,  when  it  became  apparent  that  all  of  the  government  entities  and  the  locals  themselves  had  zero  interest  in  the  structure,  we  abandoned  our  cause  and  the  bridge  was  demolished  via  the  State  of  Indiana  on  February  17,  2016.

Film on the bridge’s demise: 

10. Complete this sentence: A historic bridge in your opinion……..

 

A  historic  bridge  in  my  opinion  is  a  mix  of  style,  engineering  and  quality  from  an  era  that  we  will  never  see  again.  It  was  a  different  breed  of  men  that  built  bridges  in  the  1800s  and  early  1900s.

 

 

11. What is important for keeping the historic bridge “historic” instead of neglecting it to a point of demolition?

 

Once  these  bridges  are  gone,  they  are  gone  forever.  Bridges  are  probably  the  most  used  structure  no  matter  where  they  were  built.  Some  bridges  only  see  5  or  10  crossing  per  day  while  others  literally  see  tens  of  thousands  of  crossings  if  not  more.  It’s  hard  to  think  of  another  item  produced  by  man  that  gets  this  much  usage  and    can  last  for  100  or  more  years.  Holding  on  to  these  structures  for  future  generations  is  important  not  only  for  educational  purposes  but  for  general  enjoyment  as  well.

 

12. What are your future plans for HYB? What bridges are on your agenda?

 

Right  now  as  I  think  I  mentioned  earlier,  I  have  over  420  videos  produced  and  hope  to  add  at  least  100  more  documentary  videos  in  2020.  I  have  about  20  bridge  videos  that  have  been  shot  and  are  awaiting  the  editing  process.  They  are  scattered  throughout  Ohio,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Virginia  &  West  Virginia.  Hopefully  I  can  get  those  finished  over  the  Winter.

 

 

13. If a person has a historic bridge that needs to be filmed, like for example Kern Bridge in Minnesota or the Bridgeport Bridge in Michigan, who to contact?

 

It’s  simple,  just  give  me  (Satolli  Glassmeyer)  a  call  at  812-623-5727  between  8:00 am  and  9:00 pm.  If  I  don’t  answer,  leave  a  message.  Or  if  you  like,  send  an  email  to  Info@HistoryInYourOwnBackyard.com.  We  can  discuss  your  needs  and  wants  for  the  video  project  while  I  guide  you  to  the  best  option  to  preserve  that  bridge  on  video  now  and  in  the  future.

 

A  closing  thought……Statistically  speaking,  over  the  next  100  years  we  will  lose  50%  of  the  historic  bridges  currently  standing  due  to  fire,  flood,  storms,  neglect,  progress,  civil  unrest,  war,  earthquakes,  etc.  99%  of  those  historic  bridges  will  disappear  over  the  next  200  years  for  the  same  reasons  and  eventually  all  will  disappear.  Nothing  lasts  forever.  At  some  point  down  the  road,  we’ll  no  longer  need  bridges  and  this  project  will  at  least  preserve  the  memory  of  when  we  used  these  engineering  marvels  to  cross  vast  expanses  of  water  or  terrain

 

Thank you for your time and interview at the Chronicles and wishing you all the best in your career. 

 

Just recently, HYB got its 1 millionth view on YouTube on its page. It currently has over 3900 viewers with just as many (if not more) visitors daily, which makes it one of the most popular short-film documentaries in the US. A video on that can be found here:

HYB provides people with a short glimpse of some of the historic artefacts that people can see while they are in the area, let alone should see before they are gone.  Sometimes less means more- the most basic means the more interest in seeing the places in person.  So as Satolli would say: Travel Slowly, Stop Often. 🙂

 

Author’s Note: Some of HYB’s bridges will also appear on this page from time to time, to encourage people to watch them and eventually visit them. 

 

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 61

This week’s Pic of the Week is in connection with a “Never say never” moment regarding a historic bridge that is hard to get to, unless you fight through weeds, rotten wood and potholes on abandoned roads to get it what you want.

This was one of them. The Filzwerk Truss Bridge is located on the south end of Hof at the junction of Ascher Strasse and Hofer Strasse. Like the Alsenberg Truss Bridge seen in another Pic of the Week article (see here), the bridge is a Pratt through truss with welded connections, approximately 35 meters long and spanning the same river- the Saale. Both were built between 1900 and 1920, but we don’t know much about the two…..

Or do we?

This bridge is located on the south side of the Filzwerk factory, a company that produced textile products until its closure a couple decades ago. It was since that time, half of the company was converted into a cultural events center, which garners tens of thousands of visitors to Hof every year. The other half is still in operation but has seen better days with empty buildings and lots, all of which are fenced off to the public.

Even when walking to the bridge from the north side, outside the fenced area and through the weeds and thorns that are waist high, you will be confronted by security guards and told to leave for trespassers pose a security threat in their eyes.

On the south side, however, you can access the bridge at the junction of the aforementioned streets. Even though the intersection is officially a T, it used to be a cross-road junction with the road leading to the factory and the truss bridge. The road is no longer passable by car as it is chained off. Yet you can go by foot as you cross three steel beam bridges- each with a length of 10-15 meters- before turning right and going directly onto the through truss span! You will be greeted with trapezoidal portal and strut bracings as you go across. Yet the north portal side has been fenced off by the factory to keep trespassers from entering the complex on the bridge end. The best photo shots can be found at either the oblique or portal views as a side view may be impossible to get unless it’s in the winter time.

Unlike the Alsenberg Truss Bridge, the Filzwerk Bridge appears to be in a lot better shape with its wooden decking intact, and there is a potential to reuse it in the future, but at a different location. However little is known about the bridge’s history nor are there any concrete plans at the present time for the bridge, for three other structures in and around Hof are either being replaced or rehabilitated. Therefore the bridge will most likely sit in place for long time until there is potential interest for the structure.

And it is probably a good thing too. The bridge is one of those potential hideouts kids can use, as long as they are careful and the bridge is not harmed in anyway.

 

Do you know more about this bridge (or even the Alsenberg Truss Bridge), send us a comment and other information using the contact details by clicking here.

 

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 117: The Bridges of Atlantis

The Asel Bridge. Photo taken by Hubert Beberich via wikiCommons

The next Mystery Bridge article is in connection with the last Newsflyer article published last week on Lake Eder (in German: Edersee) and how the receding water levels are revealing relicts of the past, including a pair of bridges. To give you a brief summary of its location, Edersee is located in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in the northern part of Hesse, between the cities of Kassel and Warburg (Westphalia) in central Germany. One needs two hours from Frankfurt/Main in order to reach the lake. Edersee is an artificial lake that was built on orders of Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm II beginning in 1911. The dam and reservoir, located near Hemfurth was completed in 1914, but not before three villages were emptied of their inhabitants and later inundated. One of the villages is Asel, where the village’s lone surviving structure still stands.

The Asel Bridge is known by many as the Bridge to Atlantis at Asel (in German: Aselerbrücke). The bridge used to cross the river Eder when it was built in 1890. It is a four-span stone arch bridge, whose builder is unknown. It used to connect Asel with Vöhl before it was inundated with the creation of the reservoir. Over time, the bridge could be seen when water levels were low during the warm months from April to August. However, in the past decade, the levels have been decreasing to a point where the bridge can be seen in its glory year round. Furthermore, access to the bridge is possible on both ends and people can see relicts from the village before its relocation up the hill. The bridge, which has seen increasing numbers of visitors annually, is a living example of the village that had to move aside in the name of progress, having survived the test of time for more than a century.

Yet another crossing, located towards the dam between Scheid and Bringhausen, was not that lucky and only remains of the structure can be seen at low water point. The Eder Bridge at Bringhausen was built in 1893, made of wood, but it is unknown what type of bridge it was before its destruction- whether it was a covered bridge, truss bridge or a beam bridge. We also don’t know who built the bridge and at what cost. What we do know is when Scheid was relocated and the village was destroyed, so was the bridge itself. Today, what is left are the approach spans- made of stone- and the piers that used to support the wooden bridge- made of stone and concrete.

And finally, the third structural ruins that is closest to the dam is the Werbebrücke. This was located in the village of Berich, which is two Kilometers southwest of Waldeck Castle on the North end. Berich was the original site of the dam, water mill and mine that were constructed in the 1750s. The 75-meter long, five-span, stone arch bridge, with concrete keystone arch supports followed in 1899, even though we don’t know who was behind the work. We do know that the bridge was inundated along with the rest of Berich when the Reservoir was created. It was only  until 2010, when water levels started its constant drop, that scuba divers found the bridge remains and some relicts from the old village. Since then, one can see the relicts from shore, including the outer two of the five arches of the bridge.

Not much information on the three structures exists for they were either hidden somewhere or were lost in time due to the relocation and inundation to form the reservoir. As the dam at Hemfurth was one of four dams that were damaged extensively during the bombing raids of 1943, it is possible that fire and floods may have taken the rest of the documents. The dams were rebuilt after the end of World War II, using the Nazi prisoners of war as labor, as American forces rebuilt the area they occupied. Aside from their completion in 1947-49, they have been rehabilitated five times ever since.

Still the information presented on the three bridges at Asel, Berich and Scheid should be the starting point for research. What else do we know about the three bridges, aside from what was mentioned here? If you have some useful information to share, feel free to comment- either by e-mail or in the comment section below. To understand more about the Edersee, there are some useful links to help you. The facts can be found via wiki (here), but there is a website that has all the information on places of interests and activities for you to try (click here). There, you can keep an eye on water levels and plan for your next outing. A documentary on the history of Edersee via HNA can be accessed here.

 

The infamous Edersee bombing raid happened on 17 May, 1943, when the British Squadron Nr. 617 under the Command of Guy Gibson, used the roll-and-rotating bombs dropped at the reservoir to bomb the dams. Holes were created causing damage to the dams and massive flooding that reached depths of up to eight meters. As many as 749 people perished and hundreds of homes and factories were destroyed in the attacks. The Americans took over the region, together with Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg and started a rebuilding plan, using prisoners of war plus troops who remained in Germany. While the area was rebuilt in five years’ time, the process of rebuilding Germany to its pre-war state took three decades to complete due to complications from the Cold War with the Soviets, who occupied the northeastern part of Germany (today: Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Pommerania and “East” Berlin). This is despite the Britons and French occupying the rest of what became later known as West Germany.

Prior to the destruction of Berich, a new village was established in 1912, approximately 15 kilometers away. Neu-Berich is located near the border to North Rhine-Westphalia west of Landau. For more on its history (and to buy the book), click here.

 

    

BHC Newsflyer 1 July, 2019

Podcast can be accessed via link: https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e4ghc4

 

Links to the headlines:

 

Morandi Bridge Demolished:

Headlines

New Replacement span

Videos of the Bridge collapse and demolition:

 

Aetnaville Truss Bridge in Wheeling Faces Demolition

Sydney historic Bridge faces uncertain future after years of neglect

Historic Mangaweka Bridge may live on

 

Bridge Towers of the Remagen Bridge in Germany Needs a new owner:

Facts and history of the Bridge

Information on the Remagen Museum

News Story (in German)

 

Historic Bridge in Winona Reopens after a Three-year Renovation Project:

Facts and Photos of the Bridge

Information on its reopening

Video on the Bridge Project:

 

Historic Bridge Plaque in Napa Restored

Canton Railroad Bridge being Replaced

Help needed in solving mystery of railroad Bridge in Olbernhau (Mystery Bridge 116)

 

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 115: A box culvert with a very unique design

ELDORADO, IOWA- Approximately 300 feet west of the Eldorado Truss Bridge, one will find a unique diamond in the rough. Located along the north bank of the Turkey River, the first impression that I had during my visit to the bridge in 2011 (see my previous post) was that there may have been a previous crossing- like most of the bridges in Iowa- whether it was a bowstring arch bridge, a truss bridge built of iron or even a covered bridge. One of these three would have clearly fit the description given the need to cross the river from one bluff to another. However, looking at it more closely, especially at the wingwalls and abutments, it is clearly a concrete beam bridge. Unique is the art deco design on the beam span, which is almost a giveaway as to determining what bridge it is. The beam span has two rectangular shapes with a diamond shape in the middle. Most beam bridges and culverts used geometric shapes on their concrete railings when they were introduced for use beginning in 1910, which puts this structure’s build date right into the area of the first two decades of the 20th century. Spanning a creek that empties right into the river, the span is between 15 and 30 feet, which is typical for a box culvert or short-span beam bridge.

The road that the bridge used to carry seems to have gone along the Turkey River and its north shore, having crossed the river twice- one near the site of Orange Ave. Bridge and one at the crossing at Great River Road. Both of them are two miles apart. While the stretch west of the Eldorado Truss Bridge remains in use as 292nd Street it dead ends at a farmstead before the Turkey River crossing. Only a small stretch east of the bridge exists and while much of it has been removed for farmland, one can trace it to the cylinder piers (or lally columns) of the former crossing that is next to Great River Road. A map on the Eldorado Truss Bridge page can help you trace ist origins (click here).

This leads to the following question to be cleared up:

1. When exactly was the bridge built and by whom?
2. When was the street, now known as 292nd Street, built and where did it lead to?
3. What do we know about the former crossings at Great River Road and Orange Avenue, where the former road crossed before joining other streets? We do know with the lally columns at the Great River crossing it was a through truss bridge but what type is unknown…
4. When was the street and the bridge abandoned?

 

Any photos, stories and history behind this unique bridge and road would be much appreciated. There are three ways to do it: by e-mail, using the contact info here. By posting in the comment section. And by posting in one of the facebook pages:

Abandoned Iowa Images

The Bridgehunter’s Chronicles (group/webpage)

Save the Green Bridge (now known as Historic Bridges of Iowa)

 

NOTE: For the third page, the platform has changed after a successful campaign to save the truss bridge spanning the Raccoon River. The page now focuses on historic bridges in Iowa, which includes truss and bowstring arch bridges as well as others. Click onto the link and like to follow. Despite facebook’s insistence on keeping the old name, it will eventually change to reflect on the focus on historic bridges in the state.

All photos taken in 2011.

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 109: The Bridge at Cypress Pond State Natural Area in Illinois

Fellow pontist James Baughn of bridgehunter.com found a real diamond in the rough most recently while on tour through Illinois, but one that is really fragile and could splinter if nothing is done to preserve it.

The diamond in the rough is this bridge. The structure is located at Cypress Pond State Natural Area. The bridge spans the old channel of the Cache River along what is left of a road connecting Elvira and Pleasant Grove, approximately five miles west of the nearest town of Buncombe. The road has been abandoned for decades and the only way to access it is by walking about two miles south from where Baldwin Lane ends on the northern side of the crossing. The southern side is not accessible due to corn fields and the impossibility to cross the new channel of the Cache River. Yet when arriving at the bridge, the hike is well worth it as the bridge has features that are atypical for truss bridges.

At 50 feet long, the bridge is a bedstead pony truss bridge with a Warren design. Bedstead trusses are characterized by endposts that are vertical, forming a 90° angle. Because the connections are riveted, the build date has to be somewhere after 1900. The reason for this is because riveted truss bridges made their debut at the turn of the century to replace the pin-connected truss spans because they are able to withstand increasing volumes of traffic. They were standardized by the states through different laws and regulations by 1915, narrowing the different trusses down to half a dozen and phasing out all other truss designs and the use of pinned connections altogether. The railings feature a lattice design that is inside the trusses, bolted together. This is unusual for truss bridges of its design and age, for only simple railings were used after 1900. One has to assume that this bridge was built at this location between 1900 and 1910. It is unknown who built the bridge, let alone when the structure was abandoned. For the latter question, it may have happened at the time when the Cache River was rechanneled, which we don’t know when it happened.

The problem is the bridge is falling apart due to nature’s wrath. In other words, if nothing is done to relocate it and restore it in due time, the bridge will surely collapse into the river. Problems that James Baughn saw during his field visit included the fact that the bridge has no decking left but just the bottom chord that is hanging by a thread over the river. The entire bottom chord has corroded away to a point where it and the trusses themselves could fall into the river. The support is pretty much gone. Furthermore, the northern endposts have sustained damage in a form of twisted and corroded beams. This was caused by a shift in the river current, combined with erosion and other elements. In addition to the damage on the north side, a tree is growing right through the chords, thus causing damage to the stringers. On the south end, it is not much better as erosion was dominant and undermining the abutments to a point where they could fall into the river upon the next flood, along with the trusses themselves.

To make it short, time is of the essence to pull the bridge out and find ways to reuse it. Potential for restoring the bridge is possible but it would require extensive work with sandblasting and replacing the beams. Ideas on how to approach this delicate project should be referred to the county officials in Johnson County as well as some of the bridge companies that are experts in bridge restoration, like Workin Bridges and BACH Steel, as well as Mead and Hunt. Even if the flooring system is not salvageable, which appears is not the case, the trusses could be used as ornamental railings for a new bridge.

But as mentioned before, time is of the essence, as well as the interest. When there is a will to save this bridge, there will be a way, especially as it has a lot of history to be looked at in connection with the Cache River and the county itself.

Check out James Baughn’s page with some more info and photos he took of the bridge here.

 

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 108: The Dale Bend Bridge in Arkansas

Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Transportation

This 108th mystery bridge provides us with what is left of a historic bridge that should never have been destroyed. As of 30 January, 2019, this bridge is no more. During the night, a truck driver was using his GPS device which took him to this bridge: The Dale Bend Bridge.

What do we know about this bridge?

It spanned the Petit Jean River on the same road bearing the bridge’s name, approximately 12 miles north of the nearest town of Ola, in Yell County, Arkansas. The bridge was a pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge with A-frame portal bracings and V-laced vertical beams. According to the records, the 120-foot long structure was built in 1930 by the Vincennes Bridge Company in Indiana. Yet the date of 1930 seems to be a common number used to describe the bridge date, when in all reality, the structure is much older. Research has proven that pin-connected trusses, characterized by its beams being fastened by bolts, were phased out in favor of riveted or even welded truss bridges by 1915, for reasons that all state transportation departments created standardized truss designs, which were supposed to be sturdier and better able to carry increasing traffic in numbers, size and volumes. That means, truss designs with pinned connections were considered obsolete for reasons that they would no longer able to fulfilled the aforementioned standards. Yet during the 1930s, existing pinned connected truss bridges that used to serve main highways but still had some use left were relocated to secondary roads which were less traveled. There, they would serve a “second” life until they were considered obsolete and were either replaced or converted into recreational trails.

The Vincennes Bridge Company existed from 1898 until its reorganization in 1932, when the name was changed to Vincennes Steel. It continued to operate until it was folded into the Wabash Steel Corporation in 2006. The plaque on the bridge’s endpost had the following inscription: Built by the Vicennes Bridge Company, Vicennes, Ind.

Ibid.

That means between 1898 and 1915, the Dale Bend Bridge was built, originally. The question is where? And when was this truss bridge relocated to its current spot?

While we won’t know now because of the destruction of the bridge, it would be a benefit to provide a closure to the fallen structure so that a memorial plaque is constructed at the site where a new bridge will soon be built.

Photo by Trisha Holt/ Galla Rock Fire Department

Note: The Dale Bend Bridge collapsed on the night of 30 January, 2019 at around 8:00pm. A truck driver drove his semi-truck across the bridge until the trailer was lodged into the truss span itself and the structure collapsed completely. He escaped unhurt but was later cited for reckless driving and destruction of property. Both the truck and the bridge were considered a total loss. The bridge had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places for eight years prior to the tragedy.