A Little Local History

Spent Saturday afternoon in Marietta at a friends harvesting hops (another post).  Decided to head to the river for a few hours.  Next year is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  A few days prior to the battle, Confederate troops were attempting to cross the Susquehanna River on route to Lancaster.  A small group of Union solders prevented the crossing by burning the Wrightsville-Columbia bridge.  It was at the time the longest wooden bridge in the world.  You can read about it here.

Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville across the river make up an area known as The River Towns.  Great place to spend a weekend.  Lots to do and see.

Here is an artists rendition of the fire, and an actual photograph of the bridge.  The photo is taken from the Wrightsville side of the river looking east.  The fire was started on this side.  The painting is from the Columbia side, looking west.  The smaller overhangs were for pedestrian and those on horseback.

 

The stone pillars still stand, overgrown with scrub grass and trees.  Every 5 years bonfires are lit on the top of each one to commemorate the burning.  Amazing the stonework, after 150 plus years.  It was completed in 1834 and is the second of 4 bridges that were to be constructed on these pillars.  You can read about them, and the other two bridges here. 

A new concrete bridge was built in the late 1920's, and you can see it in the background, and clearer in this view.  The pillars are on the other side in this pic.  Once a year, the bridge is shut down to traffic and vendors and artists line the mile long bridge.  It's called the Bridge Bust and is always the first Saturday in October.

It was a nice way to finish a hot afternoon.