The Maynard Street Bridge, Connecting Williamsport & South Williamsport Through The Decades

I have a fascination with old bridges, and tend to collect every photo I find of them.  This is my attempt to sort out the bridges at Maynard Street in Williamsport - and please do not take this as gospel - it is simply the information I could easily access, put in order with the photos I believe go with that information.  As always, let me know if you have anything to add.

Why Two Bridges In Williamsport?

Today we take bridges for granted, but years ago, especially once the county was paying for them, towns had to fight to get a bridge, or to even have an existing bridge repaired. (for context, research the Watsontown to White Deer Bridge)  Two bridges in such close proximity was excessive, at this time. At a time when  many riverside  towns did not have one bridge, how did Williamsport end up with two?

"Herdic interested the officers [of the Pennsylvania Railroad]  in his purchase of land on the south side of the river, and they found little difficulty in the building a track along the south bank, baking it on the idea of preventing an interruption in travel in case the bridges should again be carried away. The result was that the land was made more valuable for the mill sites than land within the city limits. It brought extraordinary prices and a town of nearly a thousand inhabitants, now grown to over three thousand [1878] sprang up as if by magic.  When the sales began to fall off he public was startled by the announcement that Herdic intended to build a bridge across the river about a mile above the old toll bridge at Market Street.  He threw one across the river at Maynard street and offered life passes to parties purchasing lots in South Williamsport. he made enough money from the sale of lots to re-imburse him thrice over" - Col Lloyd's Sketch Of Peter Herdic

In the Atlas of Lycoming County, published in 1873, there is a full description of the Maynard Street Bridge, along with it's history.Pages 51 & 52 of the atlas go into great detail about each of the materials used, and who made them, and it states  "when the bridge opens it will be.." - as the bridge had not yet been completed.

The Atlas also notes that in 1869 there was a proposal for bridges to be "free bridges" - no tolls.  In Williamsport, when this was put to a vote, the overwhelming majority was against this.  The general population as a whole preferred that those who used the bridge pay for it, through tolls, rather than placing that cost on everyone through taxation.


In 1906, a man was injured on the bridge, and he sued the city for neglect in not maintaining the bridge.  The ruling was made in 1907, giving more of the history of the bridge.

June 1889

Bridge #2
1889-1894

December 27, 1889

In 1891, residents and taxpayers of the county instituted proceedings to have the bridge taken as a county bridge" At that time,  the Lycoming County Commissioners made the Maynard St Bridge free of tolls. Damages in the amount of $41,532 were paid to the bridge company, by the county, for the value of the bridge, franchises, and toll houses.

January 1890

May 1894

This bridge, three of the four spans, was washed away in the flood of 1894

Bridge #3

1889-1986

Maynard Street Bridge, 1909

On August 1st 1908, an ice wagon plunged through the rotten timbers of the recently repaired Maynard Street Bridge.

“Entire families and the work forces of a number of nearby businesses lined the river banks as pockets of spectators grouped in openings in the thick growth of brush that covers the river bank,” the Williamsport Sun-Gazette reported on June 7, 1986. “Others waiting along the railroad track at South Williamsport that parallels the river or gathered at both the Market Street bridge and Arch Street bridge for a glimpse.”  


Bridge #4
1987- current day
The new bridge, named the Veterans Memorial Bridge,  opened officially less than one year later.

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For More Local Stories & History Of Williamsport

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/09/williamsport-pennsylvania.html

Find More Local History & Stories From Nearby Towns Here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/p/history.html

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According to the Williamsport Sun Gazette, Herdic built the bridge in the 1860s, it was wooden, and it was swept away in the St Patrics Day Flood of 1865.  Although that is definitely true of the Market St bridge, I can find no record of a Maynard street bridge that early.  (The gazette writers however, have much better access to their own archives than I do - so I'm not saying they are wrong, merely that I cannot find any information myself)

The first structure to cross the Susquehanna at what is now Maynard Street was a toll-bridge built in the 1860s, according to Sun-Gazette archives.

By that time, Peter Herdic had business investments on both sides of the river.

When selling land on the South Side started to suffer because of the high cost of tolls when crossing the Market Street bridge, Herdic simply decided to build his own bridge.

And instead of charging the high toll, he offered life-time crossing passes to people buying lots from him.

The wooden bridge, named after his father in-law J.W. Maynard, was first swept away in the high waters of the St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1865.

It was rebuilt only to be swept away in the Great Flood of 1889, 24 years later.

After the 1889 flood, an iron truss-type bridge described by builders as “the most perfect and lasting that was available” took its place.

The $5 million bridge would last 97 years, despite significant wind-gust damage before it was demolished in 1986.

The county first lit the bridge with six oil lanterns in 1903. At the same time, automobiles were becoming a common sight, and a sidewalk was added in the 1920s. In 1959, the bridge was widened and given to the state Department of Transportation.
https://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2017/09/building-a-better-bridge-maynard-street-span-constructed-4-times/