Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge

Emily R. Ryan

The Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge A Photo Essay

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The Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge A Photo Essay

Emily R. Ryan 2

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Copyright Š 2016 by Emily R. Ryan All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author.

Design, text, and photographs by Emily R. Ryan Printed by Lulu.com, Raleigh, NC 4

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he Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge, also known as the Veterans Memorial Bridge, stretches across the Susquehanna River between the river towns of Columbia and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. Six bridges have connected these two towns since the first bridge was constructed in 1814. This photo essay presents the fifth bridge, photographed during the winter and early spring of 2014.

Columbia, located in Lancaster County, is about equidistant from York and Lancaster, PA, and is close to Harrisburg, the state capital. Columbia was founded in 1726 by three men: John Wright, Robert Barber, and Samuel Blunston, who all built houses on the land about 100 yards from the east bank of the Susquehanna River. The town was originally named Wright’s Ferry because John Wright operated a ferry crossing the river at that time. Later, John Wright’s grandson, Samuel, changed the name of the town to Columbia, after the man who stumbled upon America, Christopher Columbus. Samuel Wright hoped the name change would help Columbia be chosen as the nation’s capital. The town was almost selected as the capital, losing by only a few votes. Later, Columbia was in consideration to be Pennsylvania’s capital, but didn’t succeed there either, as Harrisburg was more centrally located.

Columbia experienced a lot of growth in 1814 after the first bridge was completed. In 1834, a railroad line was built in Columbia, and by 1852 trains were running from Columbia to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg. Columbia became a

commercial hub between the cities of Lancaster and York. When iron ore was discovered in Columbia in the late 1800s, many blast furnaces were built, further increasing the commercial vitality of the city.

During the Great Depression, Columbia was hit hard and many people left and many businesses closed. By 1960 its population had increased and the town started to get back on its feet. Today Columbia has a thriving economy with a population of about 10,380 people. *** On the other side of the bridge, along the west bank of the Susquehanna River, lies the town of Wrightsville, PA. Wrightsville is a borough of York County, Pennsylvania. Wrightsville was also founded

by John Wright, along with other Quakers, in the 1720s. He founded the town of Wrightsville at the ferry landing point on the west bank of the river, making Wrightsville the crossing point for people traveling west. In 1812, a woman named Susannah Wright Houston established 96 plots of land on the west side of the river. That community was named “Westphalia.” In 1834, twenty years after the first bridge was built, Wrightsville and Westphalia joined together to create Wrightsville Borough. The bridges have played a major part in the growth of Wrightsville, which has had all kinds of industry, including sawmills, a quarry, and a cigar factory. Bricks, lumber, iron, and textiles have also been produced there. Today approximately 2,300 people live in Wrightsville. *** 5

Since 1814, Columbia and Wrightsville have been linked by six bridges. The first bridge was a covered bridge, the longest covered bridge in America at that time, spanning 5,690 feet, and costing nearly a quarter of a million dollars to build. The bridge was made of wood and stone and was held up by 54 piers. Unlike today, the first bridge had a toll: $1.50 for a wagon and six horses to cross and 6 cents for pedestrians.

In 1832, the Susquehanna River flooded, completely destroying the first bridge.

A few months later construction began on the second bridge at a site a little south of the first bridge. Two years later, in 1834, the project was completed. The bridge was built for the Columbia Bank and cost about $160,000. Also a covered bridge, it too was made of wood and stone; however, this time it was supported by only 27 piers. The second bridge was shorter by 70 feet but much wider, which increased its functional capacity: two lanes on either side for wagons, a rail line, a walkway, and a towpath. The towpath was used to drag boats from the Columbia canal basin to the Wrightsville canal basin, where the boats would continue down river into Maryland. Today, on the grounds of the John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville, the railway connection is still visible.

During of the second bridge’s existence, the American Civil War erupted and the bridge became a strategic part of a battle to block a confederate advance. In 1863, during an artillery barrage, the Union troops retreated toward Columbia. To protect themselves and to stop the confederate advance, the Union 6

command decided to burn the middle section of the bridge. Unfortunately, the fire got out of control and the entire bridge burned down. A few days later, the Confederate troops turned west toward Gettysburg.

Only the piers of the second bridge remained. The third bridge was built on top of them and was finished about six years later in 1869. Again the bridge was built of wood and stone, but this time steel rods were added to the structure to prevent the bridge from collapsing in another fire. Like the first two bridges, the third bridge was a covered bridge and like the second bridge, it also had a carriageway, railway, and walkway. The third bridge cost about $400,000. This bridge lasted 27 years, until 1896, when a huge hurricane destroyed it.

While planning the fourth bridge, the decision was made to move away from wood and stone in order to make a stronger structure. The fourth bridge, called the Pennsylvania Railroad Iron Bridge, was made of sturdy steel trusses. Like the third bridge, this one was made on the 27 piers left from the second bridge and still contained carriageways, a railway, and a path for pedestrian crossings. The fourth bridge’s toll was 20 cents for cars, each passenger had to pay 4 cents, and pedestrians 3 cents. This bridge was built in only two months and was ready for use in June of 1897.

Because of the bridge’s capacity to accommodate both trains and cars, there was often a backup of vehicles at the entrance to the bridge as long trains passed over the river. Eventually the townspeople decided to build a fifth bridge just for cars and

pedestrians. The fourth bridge remained as a train crossing until 1963 when it was dismantled. Today, the piers from the fourth bridge still stand in the water just north of the fifth and current bridge.

The fifth bridge, completed in 1930, was named the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge and was re-dedicated as the Veterans Memorial Bridge on November 11, 1980. It is still called the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge by the local population. This bridge features 27 piers of reinforced concrete that sit in the water and an additional 22 approach piers. It cost approximately $2.5 million dollars to build. Initially, there was a toll of 25 cents for a car to cross, but the toll was discontinued once the bridge was paid off in 1943. Unlike the first four bridges, the fifth bridge is not covered. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the fifth bridge, “believed to be the longest multiple-arch concrete bridge in the world,” is 7,374 feet long, used 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 8 million pounds of steel.

The roadway is Route 462 today and is part of the old Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway in the US. The fifth and current bridge is listed in the National Register of Historical Places and is a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The sixth bridge connecting Columbia and Wrightsville was opened in 1972. It is called the Wright’s Ferry Bridge and its roadway is US Route 30, a road that covers more than 3,000 miles across the United States, linking east and west. Locally it is used as a main road through York and Lancaster Counties.

The sixth bridge is made of reinforced concrete and steel and has 45 piers and cost 12 million dollars to build. *** Both current and past bridges connecting Columbia and Wrightsville span or spanned a portion of the Susquehanna River that runs through the Northern Piedmont, a geographic plateau that runs from New Jersey through to Alabama in Eastern US. The section of the Susquehanna that the bridges crossed lies within the lower portion of the entire river, which runs from Cooperstown, New York, all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. The Susquehanna River is the largest river flowing into the Atlantic Ocean that runs entirely within the United States and is the biggest contributor of fresh water for the Chesapeake Bay. Because it is broad and shallow, the Susquehnna River is not commercially navigable.

The low cliffs on the Wrightsville side of the bridge consist mostly of quartzite. On the Columbia side, it is mostly limestone. *** Today, the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge isn’t just a passageway between the two towns. The people of both Wrightsville and Columbia take pride in the history that surrounds them and commemorate the Civil War and the burning of the second bridge by gathering together to watch the bridge “burn.” They ignite controlled fires on the old piers of the fourth bridge. The townspeople have done this because they want others to remember the importance of 7

what happened in this part of PA and not just what happened at Gettysburg during the Civil War. This tradition also brings local young people together to understand the history of the bridge. *** The photographs that appear in this book present the fifth and current Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge in its natural environment during the winter and early spring of 2014. After considering the presentation of other photo essays, I decided to photograph the bridge from every angle I was able to access during multiple times of day in order to capture how the bridge appears from many perspectives. I designed the book be a panoramic view of the bridge.

I chose to start on the west side of the river, capturing the bridge from a distance, specifically Samuel S. Lewis State Park, Highpoint Park, and the upper streets of Wrightsville. The photographs then shift up close to the bridge, featuring various views from the riverbanks on the Wrightsville side. Next, I go under the bridge at Wrightsville to capture the arch structure. After that, I move onto the bridge itself showing views of Columbia and Wrightsville from the pedestrian path. Then I go under the bridge on the Columbia side. Next, the photographs shift to show the bridge from different angles up close on the Columbia side of the riverbank and then move outward, showing the bridge from the streets of Columbia. Finally, I show the bridge from Chickie’s Trail in Chickie’s Rock County Park, north of the bridge.

I took more than 800 photographs trying to capture 8

the essence of this beautiful bridge. I loved the time I spent photographing and exploring the spaces around it. I have driven over the structure many times during the past 18 years, but I never took the time to study it. Now I see the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge in a completely different way. As you drive or walk along the roadway, it can look rather plain.

The true beauty of this bridge is seen from its sides, from both river towns, and from a distance. The bridge comes to life when the sun shines on it, and it is especially captivating when the arches glow in the sunset. The arcs and geometric lines created by the bridge’s design create amazing patterns to photograph. Both Wrightsville and Columbia have spacious and beautiful parks that sit across the river from each other and provide spectacular views of the bridge. Seeing the bridge from many different vantage points on either side of the river made me realize that, in addition to its job as a roadway and connector of two river towns, it is an extraordinary architectural achievement.

The most appealing part of creating this essay was discovering that a bridge I thought was rather plain is actually breathtaking. I am astonished at the beauty of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge and my hope is that I have captured its essence in my photographs.

Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light.

–Le Corbusier 9

View of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge from Sam Lewis State Park, just south of the town of Wrightsville, PA

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Above: Looking north from High Point Park, south of the town of Wrightsville, PA. The Rte 30 bridge is seen in the distance.

Next page: View from Maple Street, Wrightsville, PA, just south of the bridge

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Looking southeast from Locust Street,Wrightsville, PA. The old piers from the fourth bridge are seen clearly here.

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From the west bank of the Susquehanna River, just north of the bridge in Wrightsville, PA.

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From the John Wright Restaurant lawn, north of the bridge in Wrightsville, PA

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A closer look at the arches under the roadway from the John Wright Restaurant lawn

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Above: A focus on one of the fourth bridge piers looking south from the west bank of the river Right: Looking down between the old piers and the fifth bridge from the west bank of the river

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Above: Late afternoon sun on the bridge arches from the Wrightsville River Park, just south of the bridge Previous page: Another view from the Wrightsville River Park.

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A close look at one pier between two arches from the Wrightsville River Park. The Rte 30 bridge is seen in the distance.

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Above: Looking through the arches directly under the bridge on the west bank of the river Left: Under one arch from the west bank of the Susquehanna River

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Another view through the arches under the bridge from the west bank of the river

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A complex geometric design is created with pipes and concrete through the arches under the bridge

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The entrance to the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge from Wrightsville, PA, at sunrise

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View from on top of the bridge, looking east toward Columbia, PA

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View from on top the bridge looking west toward Wrightsville, PA

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Above: Built-in seating along the pedestrian path of the bridge Next page: Entering the city of Columbia, PA from the bridge, and entering the bridge from Columbia

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Art-deco detail on the Columbia side of the bridge.

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Approach piers from the south side of the bridge above the railroad tracks in Columbia, PA

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Above: Sun playing on the water through an arch seen from Riverpark in Columbia, PA Next page: Winter sunset from Riverpark in Columbia, PA

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Approach arch and pier closest to the river in Riverpark, Columbia, PA

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View between the bridge and the old fourth bridge piers from the east bank of the river.

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Sunlight on pier arcs under the bridge in Columbia, PA

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Above: View from Bridge Street, over the train tracks in Columbia, PA Next page: View from the train tracks on the east bank of the Susquehanna River just north of the bridge

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Looking across Chestnut Street (Rte 462) near North Third Street in Columbia, PA

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Close-up of the bridge looking south from Chickie’s Trail in Chickie’s Rock County Park, Lancaster County, PA

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Looking south from Chickie’s Trail in Chickie’s Rock County Park. The Rte 30 bridge is seen just north of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.

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The wisdom of bridges comes from the fact that they know the both sides, they know the both shores!

–Mehmet Murat ildan 47

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Afterword

You’ve got to look back at the old things and see them in a new light.

–John Coltrane

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In late spring of 2014, the Columbia-Wrightsville

Bridge underwent a renovation of its lights to restore it to its original 1930s look. Officials of the Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area, members of Rivertownes PA, USA, and three municipalities— Wrightsville, Columbia, and West Hempfield Township worked together on the project to remove the “cobra” head lights, replacing them with original facsimiles. As of June, 2014, the bridge was back to its original glory.

The first cast-iron lights, installed in 1930 were in place for forty years before they were replaced with the “cobra” head lights in 1970. Although they had been on the bridge for 44 years, many people never liked the “cobra” lights because they didn’t match the art deco design of the bridge.

The project to restore the lights began more than a decade ago. Funding was provided primarily by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the estimated cost of construction was $2.1 million.

The 65 “new-old” lights are shaped liked lanterns and have bright metal halide bulbs that have a lifespan of 625 days if operated 12 hours a night.

The lights are made of cast iron and weigh about 500 pounds each. The new lights are not only aesthetically pleasing, they cast more light onto the roadway, making traveling along the bridge safer.

The new lights transform the bridge at night, giving breathtaking views from both sides of the river.

“Cobra” head light installed in 1940

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“New-old” cast iron light installed in 2014

“New-old” cast iron light with shining metal halide bulb.

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Sources “Behind the Burning of the Bridge.” Rivertownes PA USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <www.rivertownes.org>.

Clark, Bill. “Pictorial History of Columbia’s Six Bridges Connects the past with the Present.”

My Columbia News. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://lancasteronline.com>.

“Columbia (borough), Pennsylvania.” Columbia (borough) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau.

N.p., 2010-2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. <http://quickfacts.census.gov>.

“Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.” Absolute Astronomy. n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <www.absoluteastronomy.com>.

“Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.” ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr.

2014. <www.asce.org>.

“Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge Site Photos.” Ed. Bruce Schulze. CivilWarAlbum.com, 2012. Web. 22

Apr. 2014. <www.civilwaralbum.com>.

“Crossings At Rivertownes.” Rivertownes PA USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. <www.rivertownes.org>.

“History.” Borough of Columbia Pennsylvania. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <www.columbiapa.net>.

“Lower Susquehanna Subbasin Atlas Maps.” SRBC Maps & Data Atlas. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <www.srbc.net>.

Orlins, Melanie. “Hundreds Gather to Celebrate Burning of the Columbia Wrightsville Bridge.”

FOX43 Central Pennsylvania, 28 June 2013. Web. 16 Aug. 2014. <http://fox43.com>.

“Wrightsville Borough, Pennsylvania.” American FactFinder - Community Facts. United States

Census Bureau, 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. <http://factfinder2.census.gov>.

“Wrightsville.” Historic plaque located at the Wrightsville entrance to the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.

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Sources for Afterword Boeckel, Teresa. “New Cast-iron Lanterns Being Installed on the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge.” Ydr.com/York

Daily Record York Sunday News, 13 May 2014. Web. 23 July 2014. <www.ydr.com>.

Boeckel, Teresa. “Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge to Return to Its 1930s Look.” Ydr.com/York Daily Record, York

Sunday News, 6 Aug 2014. Web. 23 July 2014. <www.ydr.com> Mcmillan, Eyana A. “New Lights to Brighten Wrightsville-Columbia Bridge.” Yorkdispatch.com/York Daily

Record, York Sunday News, 19 May 2014. Web. 23 July 2014. <www.yorkdispatch.com>.

Rago, Gordon. “Bridge Lighting Project Brought Counties Together.” Ydr.com/York Daily Record, York Sunday News, 8 Aug 2014. Web. 23 July 2014. <www.ydr.com>.

The Veteran’s Memorial Bridge Lighting Feasibility Study. Harrisburg, PA: Brinjac Engineering, 2006. Print.

Acknowledgements Special thanks to York College of Pennsylvania Professors Troy Patterson and Pamela Hemzik; Jonathan Pinkerton, Vice President of Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area; and Claire Storm, former President of Rivertownes PA USA for editorial suggestions.

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