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The cast iron nameplate mounted on the walkway is one of two that were formerly located on the original Grant Memorial Bridge. The original steel truss structure was constructed from 1925-1927 by the Brookville Construction Company, Brookville, Ohio, at a cost of $62,192.60. The Bridge was dedicated as a memorial to General Ulysses S. Grant, eighteenth President of the United States, whose Point Pleasant birthplace is located near the west end of the bridge.
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The first paper mill in Ohio and the Northwest Territory was established in the valley below in 1807 by John Coulter of Virginia, Jacob Bowman and John Beaver of Pennsylvania. The mill was in St. Clair Township on the East bank of Little Beaver Creek. Called “The Ohio Paper Mill,” the firm produced handmade rag paper in a stone building until the early 1830’s. The firm’s watermark was a spread eagle, the word OHIO and the initials of the proprietors, C B & B.
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On this site the Ohio & Erie Canal flowed south and down-level under the Market Street Bridge. Nearby Pawpaw Creek and the canal culturally divided the Swiss settlers to the west in Basil and the Virginia pioneers to the east in New Market (Baltimore by 1833). In March 1825, the “Twin Cities” were “dedicated” one day apart and energized a feud that often erupted at the bridge where “the boys of one village entered the other at their peril and where the worst of the intervillage fights were held.” The rivalry stretched well into the twentieth century and was arguably terminated with an uneasy consolidation of the two towns in 1947.
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Colonel Ebenezer Zane, one of the founders of Wheeling, laid out the village that became Bridgeport in 1806 on the site of Fort Kirkwood (1789). Originally named Canton, it acquired its present name after the bridge to Wheeling Island was built. The arrival of the National Road in 1818 made the growing town a major portal into the state of Ohio for westbound emigrants, adding to its importance as a port for Ohio River traffic. With the advent of railroads and, later, transcontinental highways, Bridgeport continues to serve as Ohio’s “Gateway to the West.”
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Built for Waverly industrialist James Emmitt in 1861, The Emmitt House was partly the work of carpenter Madison Hemings, who claimed parentage by President Thomas Jefferson. It served as a tavern and store for travelers on the Ohio-Erie Canal that passed directly in front of the hotel. The Emmitt House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a key part of the Waverly Canal District, which encompasses many of the canal-era residential and commercial buildings in the downtown area. It underwent a year-long restoration project in 1989 that retained its historical flavor and design. It continues to provide hospitality to both residents and travelers.
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Lowell was the site of one of ten wooden covered bridges, built from 1820 to 1887, that crossed the Muskingum River from Marietta to Coshocton. The Lowell bridge was built in 1881. Bridges were built out of wood because there was plenty of lumber available, and building with wood was easier and cheaper than using stone. Covers protected the timbers from rain. The bridge connected Lowell, on the north side of the river, with the railroad that ran on the south side. This bridge suffered from many mishaps typical of wooden bridges. In 1882 a severe storm blew off the roof. In 1884 a flood washed the bridge off its stone piers. The bridge was restored, only to be destroyed by the 1913 flood, a disaster that removed many bridges on the river. An iron bridge was built on the site. The last covered bridge on the river was at Conesville seven miles south of Coshocton. Built in 1876, the bridge was condemned in 1958 and destroyed by a controlled fire.
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Zenas King (1818-1892) was a 19th century bridge builder whose iron bridges received wide acceptance throughout the country. He developed his tubular bowstring bridge in 1859, patented the design in 1861, renewed the patent in 1867, and founded King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company in 1871. Based on an arch’s inherent strength, King’s design used less raw materials than wooden bridges and the square tubes were simple to fabricate and ship for on-site assembly. His Cleveland-based company soon built so many patent bowstrings across Ohio that it set a design standard. (Continued on other side)
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The Pottersburg Bridge, sometimes called the Upper Darby Bridge, was designed and constructed by Reuben Partridge in 1868. Originally located on North Lewisburg Road spanning the Big Darby Creek, the bridge was moved to this North Lewisburg Trail location in 2006 and renovated by Union County Engineer Steve A. Stolte to preserve its 1930s appearance. Its windows with awnings are not original, having been added prior to the 1930s. The steel rods were likely added in 1949. Partridge was a prolific bridge builder, having built more than 100 bridges in Union and surrounding counties. Most of his bridges were built with wood and covered, but a few were constructed with iron.
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