If you want to save history and your heritage,
Save the Ulster Bridge
There are many
reasons to like history; especially if it has to do with your own heritage.
History is a powerful tool that makes us who we are today. Through knowing
about our own heritage, we can learn from our ancestors, so that we can pass
that knowledge down to the generations of the future. History has to do with our
identity, tradition, way of thinking and everything that is associated with it.
It can include our contribution to certain events in time. In terms of
architecture, it can include our involvement in the construction of certain
buildings with ornamental and geometrical designs, monuments commemorating
important events, and in this case, a bridge whose history is connected to the
people who built it.
There are many reasons to save the
Ulster Bridge from its destruction because of its historic significance and its
identity to the community of Ulster; especially to the ancestors who built this
magnificent superstructure. From a point of view of a pontist who has yet to
visit the bridge, here is a list of reasons why the bridge should not be torn
down:
Even though the bridge is located in
a very rural setting, it does not mean that it has to be demolished at any
cost. There are some well-known examples of rare truss bridges in the country
that exist in rural areas, many of them located in the state, including Venango
Veterans Memorial Bridge in Venango Co., Foxburg Bridge in Clarion Co. and
Hickory Bridge in Forest Co. All are located in rural settings. Unfortunately,
like the Ulster Bridge, all are slated for demolition in the near future for
reasons of age, structural obsoleteness, and maintenance issues. However, there
are some well-known examples of bridges that were preserved in place, in the
USA, and especially in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Many of these bridges
were located in rural settings. One of the examples coming to mind includes the
conversion of the Quaker Bridge in Mercer Co. into a picnic area. From where I
originate in the Midwestern part of the country, there are many examples of these
truss bridges, where newer structures were built nearby making them obsolete.
Nevertheless, the structures were kept in place and renovated at an affordable
cost. This includes the renovation of the Coffee Street Bridge in Lanesboro, MN
and the preservation of Klondike Mill Bridge over the Big Sioux River at the SD/IA
Border near Rock Rapids, IA. Given the size and historic significance of the
structure, leaving the Ulster Bridge in place and renovating it for recreation
purposes is probably the most viable option for the cost of renovating the
superstructure is cheap and the village of Ulster can keep their centerpiece of
pride in the community.
Even though the bridge is scheduled
to be taken down once the new bridge is open, it is not too late to delay the
demolition of the truss structure. There are many ways to contact people in
order to express your interest in this structure. This includes contacting the
PaDOT to express interest in buying the structure or convincing them to delay
the demolition to allow time for others to step forward and claim the structure.
The Susquehanna Valley Construction Corporation, which is currently building
the new bridge, will take over the ownership of the bridge as soon as the newer
structure is open to traffic, so it is also possible to contact the company to
express interest. The more people involved in saving the Ulster Bridge, the
more likely the bridge will be spared demolition. The contact details are
listed at the end of the letter.
Remember, there are many reasons to
save the Ulster Bridge. I have listed a few key reasons, but I am sure you have
some reasons of your own. While some people would rather visit “thriller parks”
such as Hershey Park near Harrisburg and Kennywood near Pittsburgh, others
would rather visit places of natural or historic interest to escape modernization
and live a simple and serene life for one day, (re-) visiting the past and
imagining what life was like before freeways, and the likes of Disney and
McDonald’s started dominating our way of life. The Ulster Bridge is one of
those places that can take you back into the time when it was built and how it
evolved around the village of Ulster. Many have memories of the bridge when
growing up. Some even have memories of the steel company the built this bridge.
The most important thing is these memories can still be revived today, if the
structure stays standing. It is better to see history up close and in person
than in books which will collect dust in the library or on monuments that are
more likely to be ignored by passers-by. Please allow the people who would rather
witness history all over again than to visit the “thriller parks” to have their
share of fun. You will do them and their future generations a great favor.
Jason D. Smith
Jena, Germany
Here are some links to the Ulster
Bridge and its history, in case if you want to know more about it.
Nathan Holth has a wonderful write-up
and photos about the bridge. His link is as follows:
http://www.historicbridges.org/pennsylvania/ulster/index.htm
Note: His website includes some of
the PA bridge examples I mentioned in the letter.
History of the PA Steel Company in
detail can be found here:
http://maley.net/dauphin/OnlineData/geographic/steelton.htm
Information on the Klondike Mill and
Coffee Street Bridge along with photos taken by me can be found here:
http://www.bridgehunter.com/ia/lyon/klondike/
(Note: Bridge is still standing; photos were taken in 1998)
http://www.bridgehunter.com/mn/fillmore/coffee-street/ (Note: Information on the renovation of the
bridge can be found here: http://www.lanesboro.com/lanesboro-city.html
)
If you are interested in claiming and
preserving the Ulster Bridge, please contact the following recipients:
Kara
Russell
Cultural
Resources Specialist
PaDOT
Bureau
of Design
Environmental
Quality Assurance Division
PO
Box 3790
Harrisburg,
PA 17105
717-705-1484
E-mail: krussell@state.pa.us
Contractor for the Ulster
Bridge Replacement Project:
Susquehanna
Valley Construction Corporation
175
Lamont Street
New
Cumberland, PA 17070
PS, If you want a couple more
incentives to save the Ulster, where I’m living in Jena, we have three bridges
that are either being restored at the time of this writing or have been
restored to their original form. Some of them date as far back as the 1400s.
Some information on the bridges and the photos can be found here:
Burgauer Wehr Bridge (built 1544;
destroyed in 1945; restored in 2004 after 7 years of renovation):
http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0010477
Camsdorfer Bridge (built ca. 1400, rebuilt
1912 and again in 1945; renovated 2005):
http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0010450
Saaletal
Viaduct (built 1938; being renovated at the moment as part of the plan to widen
the German Autobahn):
http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0006240