Bridges Legacy

Legacy of the Tuscumbia Bridges

by Kelly Warman-Stallings (January, 2014)

On 7 February 1842, the very first public bridge was erected in Miller County, Missouri on the State Road, between the river and the bluff, near the small settlement of the then newly-formed Tuscumbia.

William A. Shelton, an overseer of the road district No. 8 in Equality Township, saw the need for a bridge and informed the County Court. No doubt this request was debated by the Court, but the request was granted and the County Court appointed Noah Hudson, John Davidson, and John Brumley to examine the area (then opposite of John Francis' farm) and report their findings. Noah Hudson was awarded the contract for building. On 9 November 1842, County Sheriff Thomas W. Whitaker announced the bridge's completion to the County Court. Noah Hudson received $197.00 for construction of the new bridge. (County Court Record Book A, page 127, Ibid., pages 131, 147, 148)

During the summer of 1852, 167 citizens petitioned the County Court to build a bridge over Shut-In Branch near Tuscumbia. November of that same year, David P. Taylor, James Winfrey, Sr. and Robert E. Simpson (then County Commissioners) was appointed by the Court to "examine the road leading from Tuscumbia up the river towards Erie and report as to the utility of said road, and the necessity of erecting a bridge across the Shut-In branch, and the probable costs, should a bridge be necessary." After the Commissioners reported the need for such a bridge, the Court ordered its erection on December 21st. A sum of $150.00 was appropriated and the building of the Shut-In bridge commenced on the first Monday in February, 1853 and was suppose to be completed in August of that year. However, the Court order was amended to change the design of the bridge and its completion was reported by Daniel Cummings on 14 November 1853. (County Court Record Book B, page 88)

In 1905, the first public toll bridge, that spanned the Osage River in Miller County, was built at Tuscumbia.

The new bridge contract was awarded to Joseph Dice of Warsaw, Missouri. Mr. Dice was credited with constructing as many as 40 swinging bridges in central Missouri, including some in Miller, Maries, Benton, and Cooper Counties. He started his bridge-building career as a young apprentice to Dr. D. M. Eddy in 1895 on the Stockton Bridge. No doubt this was an exciting time for the residents of this small river town. With the building of the swinging, suspension bridge at Tuscumbia, it enabled the inhabitants south of the Osage River to travel to the County Seat [and beyond] with much easier access.

The first bridge over the Osage River at Tuscumbia faithfully served the Miller County residents for over 28 years until the second bridge was built in 1933. The 1933 steel bridge, built by Industrial Construction Company of St. Louis, helped to promote the progress of Miller County's public transportation. The steel bridge stood for almost 77 years and was demolished on 31 August 2010. The new bridge was constructed at an estimated cost of 9 million dollars.

It seems that time has served the bridges of Tuscumbia faithfully over the years. And, while it is inevitable for mankind to move forward towards the progress of betterment, saying 'goodbye' to that old bridge, which I safely traveled over for many years, was a final melancholy chapter closing in my life.

As I end this article, I would like to say I ran across some interesting comments about the destruction of the 1933 historic bridge from Bridgehunter.com. The few comments below show a quick, defending comeback as only a Miller Countian could articulate!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From Bridgehunter.com
Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S.

Tuscumbia Bridge doomed
Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2009, by XX

"The Tuscumbia Bridge in Miller County, Missouri, has the dubious honor of being the first construction project funded by the Stimulus Bill signed by President Obama. The old bridge, a rare cantilevered through truss, will be replaced by some hideous UCEB (Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge). To add insult to injury, the project will likely obliterate the remaining artifacts of the Tuscumbia Swinging Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges ever built in Missouri."

Tuscumbia Bridge doomed
Posted: February 28, 2009, by Ron Shelton

"I live just south of this bridge, and drive over it daily to work. For several years now the local press has complained about that bridge, and how unsafe it is, and comments of "raining chunks of concrete" when standing below it. Obviously these comments are much exagerated in an effort to get it destroyed, and replaced. Most of the problems with this bridge are simply lack of maintenance (mostly aesthetic). If this bridge was so dangerous we no doubt would have seen more accidents on or near it, and this is simply not the case. Where are those supporting facts? Lack of visibility on the south end, yes, but that is no fault of the structure. Ironically the contractor moving fill from the south bluff is literally trucking the fill over the existing bridge. That alone is a testament to the structural integrity of the old bridge, or it would never withstand the torture of probably thousands of heavily loaded (probaby overloaded) dump trucks which will move the bluff from one side of the river to the other in the next few months. I for one will be saddened to see it go, especially considering the cost with little if any benefit."

Tuscumbia Bridge Doomed

Posted: Posted April 28, 2010, by JT Legg

"I saved a video of the Tuscumbia Bridge made by MoDOT. It shows that no matter how pretty that bridge is, it was in absolutely dreadful condition. I'm for historic preservation, but this one would have been tough to save."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1933 bridge (Left) and 2010 bridge (Right)

Note: The following excerpt comes from the story entitled, "Tuscumbia Bridge", on the website, HistoricBridges.org

"The Tuscumbia Bridge has been a victim of the 2008-2009 economic recession. The Obama Administration and MoDOT both worked to make the replacement and demolition of this historic bridge the very first project to be started under the federal stimulus funds that were made available by the federal government in response to the recession. Ground was broken minutes after the bill was signed into law. The Obama Administration, MoDOT, and all involved media all failed to mention even a single time that the Tuscumbia Bridge they were replacing was historic and eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. How convenient." ~ Mr. Shelton