Recent Missouri Comments

It looks like there are fresh tracks leading into and out of the trees, so it may still be serving for farm use. Of course it could also be long gone and replaced by gravel and a culvert....

Information on this page indicates the bridge was inspected in 2011, but my wife's cousin lives on the land where CR 328 used to be, and she assures me the road has been closed and abandoned for much longer than that. I tried to approach the bridge from the other direction and discovered that way is also blocked. The satellite image seems to indicate that the bridge is long gone too, but I can't be 100% sure of that.

2013 Google Maps imagery shows that this bridge still exists and is closed to traffic. It looks like it's in bad shape - parts of the deck and large sections of railings are missing.

Can anyone tell me when the swinging bridge over the Osage in Monegaw was built?

I learned today that there is a discussion aimed toward moving this bridge to a park in Grandview in southern Jackson County. Although Jackson County has already lost almost all of its non-boundary trusses, the possibility exists for a bridge park as part of the greenway along the Little Blue corridor.

My research indicates this is one of only two seven arch bridges in the World. The other I think is in Spain. That locals tired of a poor crossing to traverse while traveling to Farmington from North of the River,pooled together resources,some money others voluteered labor,and constructed the bridge. A replica of the other one I mention. Not certain where its at, but I recall reading about this somewhere and that both bridges are unique in design. That the first being somewhat reknown therefore this one built as a copy of it.

Okay, interesting. It looks like the site may have three listings for two bridges. Perhaps someone in the area could sort that out for us. Mr. Dooley, it looks like you were in the area recently. Could you provide some insight?

One of which is the Haskins Bridge.

http://bridgehunter.com/mo/newton/jolly-mill-park/

Jolly Mill actually has two bridges.

It is good to see photographs on here, but this listing should be merged with the other Jolly Mill bridge in the same county.

This is a duplicate listing.

I knew this bridge during the last 30 years of its existence. It never was much to look at, little more than a continuation of Grand Ave that was raised above the railroad tracks. At that tme the bridge was already failing with rusted expansion joints and railings, although SLU painted the railings SLU blue. There were several places where rain or snow melt ponded on the roadway. When buses went through the puddles, they sent soaking sheets of dirty water onto the pedestrian walkways and any pedestrian who happened to be there. In winter time the sprayed areas became coated with ice and dangerous. After the metrolink stations were added, busses and cars stopping for passangers would block the outer lanes of traffic on the bridge creating congestion.

I was glad to see the bridge replaced. The new bridge is nicer, but I wish I could have seen the 1891 bridge. I read that there had been an earlier bridge located down in Mill Creek Valley. It was not very large and just extended across Mill Creek. From the description, Grand Ave descended from Forest Park Ave into the valley, crossed railroad tracks and the creek before it became part of the sewer system. Grand then ascended to Chouteau Ave. It is understandable why the raised bridge was built.

Where is it today? Kinda hard to spot it or see signs/evidence or clues to where it was.

Just got off the phone yesterday with my 1st cousin and she said my great grandfather was worthless and only held one job in his life. That job was with the WPA building Longford Bridge. I had to look up the bridge to verify her story. She is telling the truth.the bridge did exist and was built during the time period of which she was alive and he was alive. Neat story.

J.R., this bridge carried two bridges by the same railroad. The first being built in the 1800's then the second in 1923 when the railroad double tracked this area. The first bridge was in place with the second from 1923-1953 when the first bridge was demolished because CTC was installed. This can be clarified by seeing an about 200 ft. portion of track there between the spur and the main line.

I am sure pedestrians and bicyclists will appreciate being able to cross an ugly bridge a few feet from the roar of freeway traffic versus having an entire historic cantilever bridge to themselves.

I appears the new bridge is not a through truss, based on data on the MODOT page.

http://contribute.modot.mo.gov/stlouis/major_projects/NewDanielBooneBridge.htm

And the new bridge will have a pedestrian/bicycle lane, so there is no use for the historic span.

In the list of excuses for replacing the 1935 span, the page says "... has reached a point where it needs regular preventative maintenance." I guess MODOT figures that any bridge needing maintenance needs to be replaced. Stupid. Maintenance is more cost effective than repair, which is more cost effective than replecement. Maybe it's that politicians like to put in new bridges so they can earn brownie points by naming the bridge for big-named people.

The attached image is an artist rendition extraced from a PDF I found on the MODOT site

Nice find.

I APOLOGIZE SO VERY MUCH!! I WAS WRONG! This is back creek. Those trees were not there when I was a kid. That was what made me think it was Wolf Creek. Please delete my first comment. Things have changed very much since i was there last.

Again I sincerely apologize.

This bridge was located less than half a mile from my boyhood home. Years ago we owned property on both sides of this road on the opposite side of the bridge. Sometime back in the early 1940's my dad sold the property on the right to a fellow by the name of Anderson who built a filling station and store. It was sort of a motel too. They had several cabins they rented overnight. The place was named "The Beacon" It closed sometime in the early 60's.

Back in the 40"s the creek flooded so bad that it got up into the Beacon filling station. To appreciate the amount of water this would have taken you'd have to see the area in person. The beacon actually sits on sort of a bluff of the little St.Francois. I was told the water was going over the top of the bridge. It was the only time that has ever happened even with the huge rain storms we had when I was a kid.

I'm originally from this area and traveled this road many times. I once joked that I could drive it with my eyes closed. I no longer live in the area and it's been 10 years since I have been back but this photo looks like it's the WOLF CREEK BRIDGE. If it were Back Creek you'd be able to see the Kollmeyer Dairy farm in the background if it still exists.

Back in May of 1970 I was coming home from high school with a friend when we came upon an accident at the Wolf Creek bridge. I was concerned because my mom drove a brown 65 Plymouth and she would have been going to work at the time. On that bridge sat a car that was too mangled to tell what make and model it was AND it was the same color as moms car. What had happened was this car had collided head on with a concrete truck. The impact was so hard that the truck was off in the creek. I wanted to go check and see if it was MOM but stopped when I saw the Highway patrolman look in the car and his face turned very pale. It WAS NOT my mom but the poor woman in the car had been decapitated and killed instantly.

I know the Wolf Creek Bridge very well.

Last week Budget Travel named the KATY trail one of ten "Hidden Gems" in the US.

The write up states that: "The largest rails-to-trails conversion in America, the 240-mile Katy Trail spans Missouri's midsection, from Clinton in the west to Machens in the east, along the former track of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad (a.k.a. the Katy). The mostly flat path is open to hikers and cyclists—and in some sections, horseback riders—and traverses historic railroad bridges, tunnels, forests, valleys, and open fields. In spots, it skirts the edge of the Missouri River."

Ive taken the pics of the superstructure but my new cameras 16mp ccd makes the file sizes too large to upload so far. Unconfirmed but pretty reliable reports say demo is now happening may 10th.

Nearly all of the Bedsteads I have seen that are still in use have had their legs encased in concrete. I'm sure the county officials found this as a cheap and easy way to deal with deficiencies that often occurred with them.

As Luke said, it is a double intersecting warren. "Double intersecting" means there are two warren patterns with overlayed with the second offset one-half the distance of the of the pattern repeat of the first.

But are you sure it's a bedstead? Clearly it has vertical end posts, but to be called a beadstead the endposts have to extend below the lower chord and function as substructure. I can't tell from the photos where the lower end of the endpost is...

This would be a double-intersection Warren.

Can anyone tell me what type of bridge this is? Putnam County, Missouri has several of this type. I can see that it is a bedstead truss; however, the descriptive text for these bridges (which are obviously all related) varies between "Bedstead double-intersection Warren" and "Lattice bedstead" types. It looks like a lattice to me, but I'd like confirmation before I go around changing them.

I recently drove past and saw construction equipment on the automotive deck of the east main span. And it appears the automotive deck no longer extends to the east end of the east main span. Is this recent? I see some comments about the automotive deck, but I'm not sure if there is work going on now.

Here is a photo I took from Poplar Street bridge of the eastern main span. The automobile deck is missing eastward.

This bridge was in St. Louis, not St. Louis County. Those are two different places. The bridge was over the original U.S. 40, which was re-routed over the later Vandeventer Overpass decades before the name I-64 was added to that of U.S. 40. And the location shown on the map is a good two miles southwest of where the bridge stood.

As of today the bridge has been cleared of the blue boards and all the construction fencing removed. There is a closure sign but it's mounted so as to be readily removed for vehicle access.

Chuck C - can you get some photos of details before the bridge is gone? Things like the end joint and foot, a lower joint, an upper joint, railing attachment, stringers, floor beams, braces, etc.

I don't think I can make it to Jasper county this week... Or next week.

as of today 3/23/13 the old iron bridge still stands and is used daily. The pending destruction was delayed by weather and construction problems faced by the company who will be replacing the bridge. They have staged drainage tiles and baserock in a nearby field in preparation for the demo which is slated to begin any week now. I have taken several new photos and hope to be able to record the demo process.

That's completely fine Sue... I doubt that any of us here want to see it.

This bridge has been replaced and the road is back open. No pictures as I don't have the heart to go and see the replacement.

There was an older bridge here that was probably replaced as a part of the flood control and trail development that went on 20-30 years ago. The current bridge is of interest only to railfans and for the remaining stone abutments. When I run across more info on the old bridge I'll post it and probably convert this page to a "lost" bridge.

Appears to have been built 1980s or 1990s

I called the engineer to ask for requirements. No call back as of yet.

Nothing annoys me more than highway agencies that force people to pay money just to view the plans for a project. In the digital age, plans and spec should be posted online for free. Some states do this, obviously that's not the case here. $50 just to view plans for a short term replacement project is ridiculous.

INVITATION TO BID Ozark Special Road District -

INVITATION TO BID Ozark Special Road District - Riverside Bridge Repairs Sealed proposals, addressed to: Ozark Special Road District 905 Riverside Road Ozark, Missouri 65721 An endorsed "Proposal for the Repair to the Riverside Bridge, will be received by the Ozark Special Road District until 10:00 o'clock A.M.(Prevailing Local Time) on the 4th day of April, at the office of the Ozark Special Road District Commission Office, 905 Riverside Road, Ozark, MO 65721 and at that time will be publicly opened and read. The proposed work includes: Bridge Repairs to the Riverside Bridge Special Needs: If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Amy Russell, at (417) 581-4100, or through Missouri Relay System, TDD 1-800-725-2966, at least five (5) working days prior to the bid opening you plan to attend. The wage rates applicable to this project have been predetermined as required by law and are set forth in the contract documents. When Federal wage rates are applicable and included, this contract is subject to the "Work Hours Act of 1962", (P.L. 87-581: 76 Stat. 357) and implementing regulations. The Ozark Special Road District hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry, or national origin in consideration for an award. Plans and specifications may be purchased at the offices of Great River Associates, 2826 South Ingram Mill, Springfield, MO 65804, upon payment of $50.00 for each set for the project, which is not refundable. All checks for plans and specifications are to be made payable to Great River Associates. The plans and specifications will be mailed upon payment of $25.00 for shipping and handling, for a total of $75.00 for each set. The shipping and handling charge will be waived if the prospective bidder contacts the Engineer with a valid account number for shipping services such as Federal Express, etc., so that the shipping cost is billed to the bidder. Proposals must be on forms provided. The right is reserved to reject any or all bids. Ozark Special Road District

a repair estimate should have been generated years ago.

First thing to do..... Before a non profit or status on a register. If one doesn't know the scope and costs the fight is just emotional which doesn't sway engineers, for one.

We sent our movie to the ozark roads team. Maybe that helped. Remember it is on YouTube under workin' bridges. I will be posting more craftsmanship techniques soon.

Turns out that the full article states that the bridge is only being temporarily repaired as a "short term solution" and still has the potential to be destroyed.

The reason they are not doing a long term repair is because the county would have to pay back the B.R.O. funds they received in 2010 for the replacement project in order to do that, which is $100,000.

The cost to rebuilt is a slightly over 1 million USD, so why they aren't just fixing it ALL the way up and repaying the $100,000 is beyond me.

This Bridge is no longer standing. It was tore down and replaced several years ago.

Better save the street view--this one appears to be gone according to the new aerial view.

http://ccheadliner.com/news/ozark-special-to-repair-riverside-bridge/article_18c7db40-90b2-11e2-a25e-0019bb2963f4.html

Bridge to be repaired and reopened.

Looks like another on of Joe Dice's masterpieces!

As a youngster, I crossed this bridge many times, both in my parents car, and on foot. A truck hauling logs fell thru the south approach to the south tower, and the bridge was closed from that time. This was about 1942 plus or minus a few years. Later, maybe a couple of years, the county sold the bridge to a salvage company for a reported $300. I was on hand and watched as they cut the cables on the south side of the river. The south tower was pulled into the river by the weight of the bridge and the cables were flung into the river also. Then, they cut the cables at the point where they entered the concrete anchors on the north side. Same thing - the north tower toppled into the river, flinging the cables into the river also. Nothing was salvaged! The wood from the flooring and wood from the towers floated off downriver in the current. As far as I know, the cables are still there, underwater!

I rode out and found this bridege April 2012. The bridge was alive and well. Had lunch next to it and enjoyed the view, worth anyones time to go look before some safety nazi has it removed.

I rode out to this bridge 3-16-13. Theay have signs up, bridge out. I rode past and it was still there. Looks like its failing, sorta low in center like it was overloaded. Strange it has a cement deck, I would suspect the cement would have added alot of weight. I walked out on it and it rattles and you can feel it bounce a bit under foot. If you wish to see or photograph you better hurry. SN

The last I heard the deck was removed to reduce the dead load and give the truss a better chance of surviving while money is found repairs. I suppose it's good news that someone cares enough to worry about tge deck - it's bad that this bridge is that close to collapsing.

I drove pasted yesterday. I did not have time to stop and check closely - but the deck has been removed. I also didn't see any stringers, but there might not have been any to begin with. I also could not tell if the work was "repair" or "remove"...

Replaced? With inspection ratings of "good" and "fair"?? *sigh*

There probably are bridges that need to be replaced. And there are situations where an old bridge is unsuitable for current and future traffice needs. This bridge seems to be neither. I am not a bridge inspector, nor did I have the time to look carefully - but from what I could see on my brief visit the bridge is in good shape.

The biggest problem I saw was the challenge of seeing if there is oncoming traffic. A few hundred tons of fill on each end could solve that problem and $1,500,000 could be used on a bridge that is unsafe. *grrrr*

This bridge's days are numbered. A replacement is on the way.

http://www.emissourian.com/local_news/county/article_5b142182-bd20-5334-bafd-9cc1d8473532.html

Although there are published reports suggesting that the Bear Creek Covered Bridge was built by James Key in 1859 - that appears to be incorrect (Hannibal Courier-Post 100th Anniversary Edition 1938, K Allen Ballard 2012 Images of America, Ralls County Missouri). The Hannibal and New London Plank Road and Bridge Co. published a condition report for their toll road in the July 14 (pg 2) and July 21 1855 (pg 3) editions of the Hannibal Tri-Weekly Messinger newspaper. That report lists the Bear Creek Bridge among the company assets- with a cost or value of $3,146.50. It appears from that published statement that the bridge existed in July of 1855.

Thanks to these pictures I was able to win an argument with my husband about the old JB bridge ever being a toll bridge.I Have very strong memories about stopping at that toll booth. As to the comment about why anyone would have a site about bridges....I am 68 years old and my memories about traveling across that bridge as a little girl are as vivid as ever, and seeing the bridge again just brought back all the wonderful memories of visits to reletives in Illinois. I would say that is an excellent reason for having a site like this. Thanks for the memories.

Officially closed!

http://www.carthagepress.com/article/20130212/NEWS/130219615

what can we do to save this historic structure.....Help us save our bridge

Work is underway to restore the East portal as of Nov. 2012

a.k.a. Cowan Bridge?

http://bridgehunter.com/mo/cedar/cowan/

Also known as Hopewell Road bridge?

http://bridgehunter.com/mo/cedar/hopewell/

I "hope" all is "well", and you're not posting these as recent losses, since they show up in satellite imagery. 8^P

This bridge looks to be still existing as http://bridgehunter.com/mo/cedar/bear-creek/

duplicate entry?

I was so glad when the deck was finally upgraded. I was terrified of this bridge as a child - the deck back then was slatted, and you could look down and see the river beneath you while waiting in line for the toll booth.

This is the only bridge of its kind in Missouri, so it's natural that MoDOT wants to get rid of it.

This appears to be one of the bridges MO DoT plans to replace over the next couple of years (this one being the more intersting one). Per this press release: http://www.modot.org/kansascity/major_projects/ManchesterBridgeatI-70.htm

This UP line through South St. Louis originates from the BNSF railroad west of Vandeventer/Tower Grove, travels west of Tower Grove Park, and continues through to meet up with the UP main line that parallels the Mississippi River at a point just north of the River Des Peres. Amtrak also uses this line, UP freight trains use it about five times daily.

I added this bridge because it was there when I stayed at the resort in the early 1990s and still is there today according to the Google Earth Images. I remember it being painted brown back then so the have since repainted it green per the Google Images. Back then you had to be staying at the resort to access the bridge but it looks like you can now access it without having to go through a gate. So get some picture of it for me.

Looking at this and the other similar, nearby trusses, I wonder if the date on this is a rehab and if it actually dates from 1922 like the others.

Jan 19, 2013. Still up and "looking good." Didn't walk on it because it was too dangerous to get on the access plank (south end). A great photo op.

The western end of this line is still very much in use with track condition very good, The industrial spures are operated by Central Midland Railroad.

Those photos are of Bruns' Bridge.

http://bridgehunter.com/mo/franklin/mill-hill/

The portal design, the stringer/girder bridge curving in the background of photo 2, 3. I even recognize the sandbar in photo 1 from my visit.

Here are some photographs

Here are some photographs of the bridge.

Does anyone have anymore pictures of this bridge or any of the two lane highway 61? I am interested in seeing what this area looked like before high way 61 was a divided highway.

Looking for photos of Zumwalt bridge prior to concrete replacement. Thank you, John 573-491-9919

Since all the photos here are recent, I thought I would post some taken before blue fences and tourist goop.

These are from a few rolls of Kodachrome 64, shot mostly on March 31, 1991. It turns out that it was just four days before the Kerry sisters were murdered. What a horrific crime. When I look back on the photos now it's a little unsettling to recall the graffiti, open man-hole covers and the remoteness of the bridge at that time. I think I was wise to slip a .357 into my jacket before I left the house.

I was born and raised in the area and traveled across the bridge many times. Traffic was always fairly heavy and that made the bend all the more exciting, if that's the right word. The narrowness, altitude, and bend all caused my mother to have a pretty good grip on the arm rest and front seat whenever we crossed it.

Those were the days.

@ webmaster: According to MoDot and an Alton newspaper, the bridge closed to traffic in February 1970.

Almost certainly relocated by private owner. I don't think a bridge person would bolt a bearing plate to the abutment. I suppose if they left the other end of the truss free this could work, but not normal procedure.

This bridge is a duplicate - the bridge at the coordinates in this listing is actually this 14 span T-Beam bridge:

http://bridgehunter.com/mo/jasper/bh37467/

while the three span open spandrel arch bridge just to the north is listed here:

http://bridgehunter.com/mo/jasper/garrison-street/

According to recent Google imagery, this bridge is gone.

Someone put unusual care in creating the railing. I hope the remaining part is preserved/restored.

Is anyone here living in the Maryville area and willing to do some scouting? There seem to be a few historic bridges in the area.

All gone. New UCEB to the east.

Based on old maps, the pavement on this stretch of old US50 is from 1932 or 1933 - parts of US50 (including this one) are shown as gravel roads on the 1932 map but all of it is paved in the 1933 map. It's interesting that this concrete bridge served a gravel road for about ten years.

There are two structures west of this bridge that have the old style MSHD guardrails - one is striped for a single lane and the other is wider than the roadway by a couple feet on each side.

They look like bridges in Google Maps which has some new high resolution imagery of the area and judging by the guardrail style they would have been built around the same time as the rest of this highway (mid 20's to early 30's).

uglybridges.com has listings for some possible suspects but the coordinates are screwed up for several - it's showing them as way outside of Cooper county.

I'll try to get a couple of pictures next time I drive by.

Interesting history, nonetheless!

The site allows for "interesting" bridges too, not just merely historic. I, personally, find this bridge to be interesting, as well as the "history" of this whole grade crossing before the bridge.

Maybe there is more than one type of Bailey. But this is not a typical Bailey because the diagonals don't form a "diamond". Each panel's diagonals usually form a square with positioned with the point down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truss_bridge#Bailey_bridge

But I have never installed one, so if DBG is sure it's really a Bailey, I'll just have to change my definition!

Although it certainly looks like a prefab, I don't recognize it as a Bailey. The truss is stout, riveted sections looking more like the quick-build rail bridges.

This is a Bailey bridge or panel bridge. I trained at Ft. Leonard Wood in 1969 as a combat engineer, MOS 12B. We assembled and tore down these portable, prefabricated steel bridges in training (this may even be the same bridge). They were (are?) carried to the point of assembly and assembled by an Engineer bridge company.

I'm surprised to see one still standing.

We also did night amphibious assaults across the Big Piney.

You can buy one for $1000/ton at:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/517415854/Bailey_Bridge_Portable_Steel_Bridge_Compact.html

DBG

The cemetery bridge has an immediate dead end. 8-D

Still seems sturdy enough.

My father worked for MoDot for 40 years. He has said that they (MoDot, or least the local District Office) have wanted to tear it down for years, but the Bridge Department (also MoDot) will not let them. Part of the reason it never was used because it was going to be a left hand entrance onto the highway.

The now former westbound Blanchette bridge even has a "Meets minimum tolerable limits to be left in place as is" in "Structural appraisal" portion of the NBI.

I do think a new bridge is needed at for Highway 40 (Boone Bridge) - the current westbound bridge is wide for a 1930's bridge but has been striped for three ten foot lanes with no shoulders. It's a bottleneck and causes a lot of accidents.

That being said, why MODOT insists on tearing down the existing bridge, I don't know. The new bridge will be built on the other side of the 1990's eastbound span, so the Boone bridge isn't in the way. Furthermore, local groups have shown interest in using the bridge in a trail project.

I wonder if some cost cutting engineer (i.e. leech) decided that recovering the scrap metal from the old bridge was the easiest way to drive the cost of project closer to zero.

The "worried about liability" and "Bridge needs repair" arguments don't hold much water when you look at the Old Chain of Rocks bridge. No one tore it down because there was no money to do so even though it was in similar if not worse shape than the Boone bridge and now it's a well-liked attraction in the St. Louis area.

Well, if "costing too much to keep it open" was the reason for replacement, then they ARE idiots...if they had properly maintained it in the first place, it would cost far less to keep it open!

On a housekeeping note, why are the two bridges here listed as a single bridge? With the now-demolished Blanchette Bridge, listing the bridge as "Lost" is appropriate, however, because the modern truss next to it is not being replaced, listing this entry as "Lost" would be misleading.

I don't know where these "costing too much" statements come from. I suspect from MoDOT who would fabricate such statements to secure free federal money. In my state of Michigan we have several monumental size bridges (two international crossings) with construction dates ranging from the 1930s to the 1960s including two cantilever truss bridges. Both Michigan and Ontario have found that these bridges have not even come close to the end of their service life. They cause no unusual maintenance costs. One of the bridges, the Blue Water Bridge, carries one-way freeway traffic and is one of the busiest international crossings in the United States. The 1938 bridge has a 25 year maintenance plan in place, indicating that this bridge would be in service nearly twice as long as MoDOT gave the Blanchette Bridge.

Hey John Rogger, MODOT is going to replace the I-64 span beginning this Spring so I would say they are not idiots. The original Blanchette span was worn out and costing too much to keep it open.

http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/newdanielboonebridge.htm

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/350491/3/Blanchette-Bridge-blast-goes-off-without-a-hitch-

Main span was demolished today.

Strange. I had read that the houses had been bought out so the bridge could be removed. Some were pretty nice places. Someone spent some money doing that. There are still city pages referring to replacement planning, so who is the new bridge for??

Bridge is open to traffic (although there is no traffic to go anywhere). I visited this location on 11/22/12 (Thanksgiving Day), and it was still open. All of the houses on the other end have been removed, the lots cleared and cleaned. I was hesitant about going over it at first, but after I turned around and went back over it was still rated for 14 tons.

Caught a train here in 2012. UPY 656 with freaky lettering and UPY 658 leading. At night.

So......the new bridge has been built, old memories , while still there, are fading

for those who lived in Hermann or enjoyed visiting this beautiful and quaint

German village over the years have grown to accept the inevitable. It is done.

BUT....to think that the town itself is nothing more than a bottleneck to thru

traffic because its' streets are too narrow and it does nothing more than

impede the flow of traffic to other destinations is a sad commentary and

a lack of understanding and knowledge of the history of this town. And

the hardships and industry of its' early German settlers to make it one of

the largest wine producing areas in the Untied States a century ago. The history

is still there as is the charm and friendliness of its' people. Next time don't

hurry thru. Stop a while and enjoy the friendship of its' people. These thoughts

from Hal Ballmann who was born there in 1931 and who can hardly wait

for his next visit to that magical place.