Building The Watsontown & White Deer River Bridge

Construction of the Watsontown White Deer River Bridge, 1928

(More pictures of the bridges construction on down  the page)

Today, it's hard to imagine Watsontown without it's picturesque bridge, spanning from its borough in Northumberland County, to  White Deer, Union County, across the river.    But for many decades, not only was there no bridge, but the idea of a bridge was a major fight.  Or more specifically, the idea of who would be paying for the bridge, was a major source of contention.  

In 1909, William C. Brimmer was elected Chief Burgess [Mayor] of Watsontown, with his primary purpose being to get the bridge project approved.  Brimmer fought for the bridge, facing numerous court battles right up until the project began in May of 1927.

It took seventeen years of battling through Pennsylvania’s court system and the state legislature.  Instead of the construction being split 50/50, Northumberland County (based on population) took on 85% of the cost, with the Northumberland Commissioners complaining about the cost and how it would bankrupt them, for years. 

Finally  on July 12, 1927, work began on a bridge across the Susquehanna River from Watsontown to White Deer.    It was dedicated in a ceremony on July 4th 1928, but could not be opened to traffic because there was no suitable road access on the White Deer side.  This problem continued for two years, until the state took over all county bridges in 1930, and finally a suitable access road was constructed on the Union County side.

Note: My original intention was to do a time line of the legal battles and disputes leading up to the 1927 construction of the bridge.  However, it just became tedious.  It was the exact same argument over and over, and over, year in, and year out, from the 1860s clear into 1928, as the bridge was under construction.    I've covered some of the highlights, to give you a general idea, and at the very bottom there are a lot more articles, for those who are interested in more.  It's still a drop in the bucket - this was a really, really, large and drawn out controversy.  Papers in lower Northumberland county continued to bash the project for years after the bridge was completed, with every financial difficulty being blamed on the debt from the bridge project.

The beautiful bridge was a bit of a white elephant, for a long time, and those who had opposed spending the money wasted no opportunity to point that out.

The campaign for a bridge at Watsontown began as early as 1832.  And it would drag on for nearly 100 years.  But in 1909, when William Brimmer was elected Chief Burgess, the campaign became serious.  Watsontown was determined to have a bridge.

Maj. F. Knight wrote, as part of a "Watsontown Historically" article in 1915. 

"And soon, through the untiring efforts of Ex-Burgess Wm. C. Brimmer and his loyal supporter, a bridge will span the Susquehanna and open up new fields in the West; and after 83 years of effort Watsontown will at least have a river bridge.  For be it remember that a charter was granted for the purpose of building a bridge at this point in 1832, another in 1854, and one refused by Gov. Geary in 1867 for the reason that two charters had already been granted and no bridge built.  

Surely it had been a long road to a Watsontown Bridge."

From the obituary of William C. Brimmer, July 1944

If only Maj Knight knew...  the battle was long from over.  The saga, and controversy, would dominate headlines for years to come, until I have no doubt that everyone was tired of the subject.

In 1925, The County Commissioners still did not want to pay for a bridge in Watsontown.   If one was to be built, they wanted it  south of Sunbury.  Headlines that year included statements such as "Bridge that would served only 168 persons" and " connecting two insignificant hamlets"

In early 1927, with a supreme court order to build the bridge, the issue as still being disputed.

Representative Ollie J. Powell of Mt Carmel introduced a bill into the house of representatives providing for the erection of ta $500,000 bridge over the river at Dalmatia.  The bill specifically prohibited the erection of any other inter-county bridge more than 300 feet in length, unless the electors of the two counties involved gave their consent.

It was his attempt to stop the bridge from being built in Watsontown.  It failed.  The bridge project in Watsontown finally  proceeded.

In May of 1927, the project began.  It took weeks to prepare - bringing in all of the equipment needed, railroad track laid to the project site, etc. Construction  began on July 12, 1927 and was finished in time for the formal dedication on July 4, 1928. 

George W. Rockwell was hired as the contractor to erect the Watsontown-White Deer Bridge at a cost of $309,000. 

Abutment construction on the Watsontown side

In May of 1927, Union and Northumberland counties were fighting over who would pay for the lighting for the bridge.

"Immediately after receiving the contract Mr. Rockwell announced that he would start work on Monday. He will conduct operations from both sides of the river. A track several thousand feet in length will be laid at White Deer from the Reading lines to the shore for the delivery of the crushed stone, sand and cement, and the steel for reinforcing the piers and spans. 

 "Not only will his narrow gauge equipment of engine, cars and rails be suitable for the new bridge, but the forms used for that at Northumberland will be available. The spans at Northumberland are of varying width. Two at either end are 110 feet wide. the next two on each side are 115 feet wide, and the three in the middle are each 120 feet wide. The Watsontown bridge will have uniform spans 120 feet wide."

 Lewisburg Journal May 20 1927

High water wrecked a trestle, in the fall of 1927

" This is the project on which Contractor  George W. Rockwell and his force men are working now. The base the roadway is a nine inch deck of reinforced concrete, supported upon the spans and piers. On the deck will be laid a brick roadway. On the sides  will be built a concrete guard rail."

"There are 18 sections of the deck.  It will possibly take a week to complete the deck if favorable weather prevails. If freezing weather sets in, the unfinished portion will be built next spring.  If the deck is completed in the fast waning season of 1927, the bridge will be open to foot passage during the winter, but not to vehicle, travel"

September 1927

"When spring comes, the brick roadway and the guard railing will be constructed and the bridge thrown open to traffic.  This is expected to be before June 1928."

"Contractor George Rockwell, of Sunbury, is putting the finishing touches on the $450,000 Watsontown-White Deer bridge, and everything looks favorable for the bridge to be in shipshape at the formal opening exercises on July 4.

 For the past week, workmen have been laying the concrete base, then covering this with brick, and finally covering the brick surface with tar. 

The roadway of the bridge will probably be completed by the end of this week. The finishing touches on the I structure itself are gradually being attended to. Whether the Union County approach to the bridge from the White Deer side is to be improved has not been ascertained, but, as yet, no work has been I done on the narrow ash road leading to the bridge from White Deer. 

The Ferry beside the bridge construction, 1928

Most of the machinery of the contractor has been loaded on railroad .cars and sent to Sunbury where Mr.  Rockwell is erecting the new toll bridge across the Susquehanna. The Watsontown approach to bridge is being improved rapidly." June 21 1928, Miltonian

Mr. Thomas Shannon laid the  last brick on the bridge.

Mary Ellen Groover, age 5 months, was the first baby to cross the bridge.

"But so far as the usefulness of the bridge is concerned, it is an entirely different proposition. The road to it on the west side is in the same condition it was when it was known as the "high water" road to the old ferry. It was never used unless the water was too high to use the regular road. It is little better than a mountain road, winding its rough and narrow way through brush and undergrowth from the river shore back to the straggling village of White Deer. It makes two sharp right angle turns where it makes an abrupt ascent over the Reading railroad. 

[See photos of the old Watsontown Ferry here https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/10/when-watsontown-had-ferry.html ]

Union county is paying its share of the cost of the bridge because it has to, but it is not spending a nickel more to make it available from the mountain district which alone has use for it. Nor are the White Deer people sufficiently interested to ask the expenditure of more thousands of public funds for a highway to it In keeping with the character of the structure that is costing nearly a half million of public funds. 

In the meantime Watsontown Is going ahead with preparations for a big celebration on July 4. two parades being planned over the bridge. Why Watsontown considers the bridge vital to its welfare is difficult for the rest of the county to understand. Certainly it is not bursting with excess population that is seeking an outlet into suburbs, and the trade to be drawn from the foothills of Union county is negligible." Shamokin News, June 9 1928

The Bridge was dedicated at a Great Celebration, On July 4th 1928

It was extremely common for dedications to be scheduled during 4th of July festivities, when the town was already decorated and picnics and socials would already have been planned.

Bridge Dedication Ceremony, July 4 1928

 The Reverend Preston A. DeLong (1873-1942) of Trinity Evangelical and Reformed Church was the chairperson to organize the celebration of the dedication of the bridge which included a flag raising ceremony at 10:30 that morning at the Boy Scouts headquarters on Ash Street, a ball game at Memorial Park and a grand parade beginning at 2:30 and culminated with a mass meeting held at the east end of the bridge on Second Street.

  The principal address was made by Harry S. Knight who was a great promoter for the bridge.

Bridge Dedication, July 4 1928

W.C. Brimmer is shown here, leading the Bridge Celebration Committee, followed by the Watsontown Booster Club, followed by Bryson Post 225 GAR members in automobiles.

The Watsontown Campfire Girls, followed by The Odd Fellows Orphanage Band, followed by scouts and boy rangers.

In appreciation of the efforts of William Brimmer in securing the bridge, Second Street in Watsontown leading up to the bridge was renamed Brimmer Avenue.

An Interesting Connection

Pictured on this bridge in 1910 are William F. Shay, William C. Brimmer, Frank Fisher, Samuel B. Morgan, at the parks dedication.  Brimmers daughter Mildred was one of those primarily responsible for the creation of Watsontown Park, as a place for ball games to be held.  Then, when the bridge her father campaigned for was dedicated in July of 1928, a ball game was held at that very park.

The White Deer approach to the bridge - still incomplete during the parade.

The Reading Times, July 1928

Although the bridge was dedicated, it was not actually open to traffic.

"The fact that services of dedication were held on the bridge July 4 has caused many persons of Central Pennsylvania out on pleasure rides, to plan crossing the new structure.

 When they reach the approach, they are stopped by a watchman and are not permitted to cross. 

This Is due to the fact that the legal formalities connected with the acceptance of the bridge by the commissioners of the two counties have not been completed and until this is done the contractor  would be responsible for any accident that might occur, if he permitted the public to use the bridge. The joint board will make its report to the courts of Northumberland and Union counties, and when the report is accepted, the new bridge will be officially opened to the public"

In late July of 1928, the bridge was still an argument.

Now it was a dispute with three landowners on the Union County Side - 

D.R. Harbeson, Ex County Judge Lester Hartman, and Mrs. Snyder.  

The new proposed road leading to the bridge would go through the undergrade crossing of the Reading Railroad.

The property owners contended that during periods of high water, with the new proposed road leading to the highway, they would be cut off. The Reading on the other hand, wanted the grade crossing, which the landowners had previously used during high water, abolished.

In addition to all of that, Sunbury City Engineer George F. Keefer looked over the approach and declared that a proper crossing of White Deer Creek and proper safeguards for the approach were needed.  

"From present indications, it will be long weeks before work on the west approach is under way to put the bridge into service."

Long weeks indeed.  The Shamokin News, in August of 1928, reported that the commissioners were pleased with the road from the Northumberland County Side.  But, "they are not financially concerned with the problem on the west side, which is exclusively up to Union County and which involved a big expenditure which the county cannot pay and is in no mood to pay.  At present the road is vias a very dangerous railroad crossing where there is little visibility until the tracks are reached."

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In October, the bridge was still closed.

"The celebration of the bridge completion was held July 4th at Watsontown. It is yet to be put into general service. The west approach which Is all In Union county is too dangerous for safe travel. Union county has no money to build a suitable approach. In fact It would have been In bad shape financially had it been required to pay more than an eighth of the cost. So the bridge will remain, imposing but useless, until the state is induced to build an approach or Union county gets more available cash than it has now." Shamokin News October 2nd.

In March 1929, citizens from Shamokin came to Watsontown to drive across the bridge

Shamokin newspapers were anxious to repeat  how useless the bridge was, and numerous articles claimed that the county had been put under extreme duress for the construction of this useless structure.

It's likely they visited in March strictly to make this point - as they must have known how muddy it would be this time of year.  Once the car crossed the bridge, it could not exit on the White Deer side, and needed to turn around and go back to Watsontown. At least once a month the Shamokin News Item would work a jab at the bridge into an article. They claimed that those on the north end had forced the unnecessary expense, and every tax increase and financial difficulty was blamed on the expense of that "little used" bridge.

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I could not find when the bridge was actually opened.  [It was NOT July 4th 1928.  That was the dedication, but the bridge was closed to traffic because of the lack of access on the Union County Side]   In August of 1930, yet another article in the Shamokin News mentioned the "White Elephant" of a bridge.  The state was acquiring the bridge, taking it off the counties hands. [The State of Pennsylvania took over all County bridges on June 1 1930] 

"Perhaps now an approach will be built on the west side. The bridge has been open for a year or two, and is so little used that there is no great demand that an approach be made."

This was the same time that Route 15 was being constructed through the White Deer area.

In Jan 1930 Upper Northumberland County and Union County were again looking at forming their own, new, county.  [See the Freeland County Proposal of 1850, for an earlier attempt]    "The upper end is rather bitter at the rest of the county for the hostile criticism arising over the building of the Watsontown bridge, which raised the taxes and did nobody any good whatsoever.  Perhaps if the upper end were asked to take over the bonded debt due to the bridge, it would have a different idea on annexation."

In March of 1930, nearly two years after the bridge had been dedicated, there was finally a plan in place for access from the west.  

The bridge was renamed the Nurse Helen Fairchild Bridge

in Memorial Day Ceremonies in 2003.

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/05/nurse-helen-fairchild.html

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READ MORE

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"It was built in 1927, and consists of nine open spandrel arches with a total length of 1,080-foot-long (330 m). It is constructed of concrete and crosses the Susquehanna River"

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 On November 5, 1915, a mandamus [judicial writ issued as a command to an inferior court or ordering a person to perform a public or statutory duty]  was issued,  compelling the county commissioners to build the bridge. 

The Lewisburg Journal, March 1918

In 1916, Northumberland County Commissioners, allegedly, "Exceeded their authority", and employed engineers before plans were approved for the bridge.  There was an ensuing legal battle over fees paid, which should not have been paid until the project was actually approved.  

A 1920 Headline in the Miltonian read 

"Closing Chapter In The Bridge Controversy"

Well, it may have closed a chapter, but this was going to be a LONG book.

The controversy was nowhere near over.

Mount Carmel March 1925

1926

Even once the bridge was under construction, there were still problems. Construction was halted for winter in December of 1927, but an article about  George Rockwells  return  from several weeks in Florida stated: 

"following his settlement with the county for money due him for the bridge job to date. A sum of nearly $300,000"

The Design is very similar to this bridge in Mifflin County

1911

The Miltonian, 1915

1916

1922

February 1924

April 1925

September 1927

March 31 1978

February 28 1927

March 1927

Jan 1928

June 9 1928

July 1928

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"In 1909 William C. Brimmer (1862-1944) was elected chief burgess [mayor] of Watsontown for the primary purpose of promoting a bridge project.  He formed a committee which immediately set to work.  The committee decided to take its case to court.  The bridge case went through the Northumberland county courts several times, through Union County courts several times, through superior court, supreme court and state legislature twice.

Finally, the committee succeeded in having a new law passed by the state legislature to suit the case, permitting the counties of Northumberland and Union to pay their share according to population, instead of a 50-50 basis with Northumberland County paying about 80% of the cost."  Milton Standard, 1967

The mandamus for the bridge was secured through the efforts of Atty. Harry S. Knight (1868-1957), a successful lawyer in Sunbury and formerly of Watsontown.  The mandamus was issued November 5, 1915 by order of court compelling the county commissioners to build the bridge. 

George W. Rockwell (1874-1953) was hired as the contractor to erect the Watsontown-White Deer Bridge at a cost of $309,000.  Construction began on July 12, 1927 and was finished in time for the formal dedication on July 4, 1928.  The Reverend Preston A. DeLong (1873-1942) of Trinity Evangelical and Reformed Church was the chairperson to organize the celebration of the dedication of the bridge which included a flag raising ceremony at 10:30 that morning at the Boy Scouts headquarters on Ash Street, a ball game at Memorial Park and a grand parade beginning at 2:30 and culminated with a mass meeting held at the east end of the bridge on Second Street.  The principal address was made by Harry S. Knight who was a great promoter for the bridge.

In appreciation of the efforts of William Brimmer in securing the bridge, Second Street in Watsontown leading up to the bridge was renamed Brimmer Avenue.

The Milton Standard, August 11, 1967

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Mandamus - a judicial writ issued as a command to an inferior court or ordering a person to perform a public or statutory duty.

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Obituary For William C. Brimmer, July 1944