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Greetings Everybody and appreciate your time and effort in
looking and reading this simple stat. Again, the picture is over sixty
years old and is a copy of a copy. I will walk you through what I think is
in the picture and give you a chance to respond. Do appreciate any
interest and any reply back would be nice. Without you as a reader, a
keyboard puncher is not of much use. The music file is an old version of;
"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". This version goes back some thirty or so years
before the Platters. This version was the music, of the era, when the
bridge was being built. Hope you enjoy.
The old photograph pictured
is a picture of Highway 62 Bridge Toll Booth at Rockport in 1940. In
August of 1940 it was opened for business as a Toll Bridge. Not sure of
the "Toll Fee", but think that it was in the neighborhood of a dime. I
have heard that it was fifty cents for a one way crossing, but that seems
a little high. Anyway, one might wonder if there could ever be enough
money collected to pay the salary of the toll keepers and to put enough
aside to pay for the bridge. But, that is the way a "Toll Bridge" works.
The State borrows the money, builds the bridge, collects a toll fee and
pays back the loan. I think that the "Toll Fee" was kept on the bridge for
less than twenty years, and I find it amazing to be able to pay for a
bridge from the small toll fees. The fee may have been increased to twenty
cents a few years before toll removal. This would have been in the early
fifties.
The old photograph is marked; Aug. 40 New Bridge and a
note stating "Now Open". I was to young to remember the opening, but can
still recall the "End of Toll" festivities. Will touch on that later, but
for now will be concerned with the bridge and the State people that took
care and operated the bridge. The photographer is looking back toward
Beaver Dam with his back to the actual bridge. Three men are positioned at
the back side of the Toll Booth. The man wearing the tie is probably an
area supervisor or a State Politician. The other two are probably local
"Toll Collectors". One could possibly be Marvin Hines. I just can't ID
anyone. The man standing in the roadway seems to be just looking things
over. Looks like an old car is waiting for the gate to be opened so they
can cross. "Tank Hill" is on the left. Charley Sheffield's house is on the
right, although he probably did not live there when the picture was taken.
Looks like the white gravel is blending in with the tool booth concrete
and it is hard to determine where the road ends and the toll both starts.
Guess that the actual bridge building started in the early
thirties. At the time, we lived in the old Russell house, just up from the
bridge. Seems that I have been told, we had a boarder or two during the
"Bridge Building" time. I think that several families boarded a "Bridge
Builder" or two and for a period of several years. All types of workers
toiled for about six years to build the bridge across the river as well as
the levee on the Muhlenberg County side, plus make a cut through rock to
connect with the old Highway 62 just across the IC Railroad Tracks. Now,
we had a bridge and what a magnificent bridge it was. The bridge was
nearly one hundred feet higher than the river and thus, barges and tugs
could cross under the bridge, even in high water, without any interference
from the bridge structure. It was not a fun bridge to play on, nor a good
place to dive from or a good place to swim, nor play, thus the bridge just
stood there and did what it was supposed to do. Don't remember any tales,
stories, nor events concerned with the bridge. Just a working bridge
without much fun history. I think that there was three or four workers
killed during the building of the bridge. All of the piers were build on
dry land, well at least land, and there was no middle pier. Just not a fun
bridge without a middle pier.
State Politics in those days was even
worse than in today's world. If your party was in, your chances of getting
a State job was increased. Many a job was promised to local people if they
would help a certain party get elected. Well, this "Bridge Jobs" was no
different. After being built and during the toll collection era, about a
half dozen workers were needed to collect the tolls, keep the lights
burning and various other jobs needed to keep the bridge operational.
Marvin Hines was the chief toll collector and was in charge of a few other
men. Lacy Blackburn was one of the "Toll Collectors". I don't recall any
others for the time being. My grandfather got the job of keeping the
bridge lights burning. Now, that was some sweet job. The pay was not much,
the hours were just about figured in minutes, but the demand was high. You
had to be there at dusk every night to turn on the lights and at dawn to
turn them back off. Unheard of in these days, but this was in the forties
and fifties.
One of my memories of the bridge and the toll
collection situation was just sitting in the toll booth and watching the
traffic go by. When Lacy Blackburn was working, sometimes his son Lacy D.
Blackburn and I, maybe another boy or two would play a game. Just natural
for a kid. We would try to be the first to identify an approaching car. We
had to guess the name of the car/truck and the year. This could go on for
several hours and our scores could be in the thirties or forties. The
person with the highest score was the winner and other than prestige,
there was no other prize. Lacy was hard to beat. Donald Ray Hobbs, Marvin
Hines's grandson, was another serious player.
As mentioned, my
grandfather had the job of keeping the bridge lights burning. There was a
red light on each side of the two bank piers and green light hanging from
the center portion of the bridge structure. I was never convinced that
lights were needed, as if a boat struck a pier, the pilot was just about
on the bank. Anyway, from before the bridge was operational until maybe
the mid-sixties, my grandfather kept the "Bridge Light" tending job in the
family. Sam Durham was the main "Light Keeper" until he died in 1951. His
wife Farlena, then took the responsibility and stayed "Light Keeper" until
the operation was switched over to an automatic process. The pay was never
high, especially by today's standards, but both grandparents were proud of
the job and equally proud of the monthly paycheck. I am thinking that the
pay was in the neighborhood of twelve to fifteen dollars a month. It
started out a little lower and salary increases were given every five or
so years. Most of the grandkids wanted a chance to operate the lights, and
the grandparents obliged. By the same token, the grandparents were very
serious about their jobs and they watched every move anyone made in
regards to "Turning On" the lights. We very seldom turned them off, as
that was an early morning trip, but did we ever turn them on. In those
days, grandchildren spent a lot of time with their grandparents and our
family was no exception. When it was time to turn the bridge lights on,
all of the grandkids that were present would want to turn them on. One was
selected and no pouting nor argument ensued. With the grandparent
observing, the lucky child would walk a distance of an eight of a mile or
so to the bridge, locate the light switch and turn on the lights. The
young operator would try to see if the lights were on, but you can bet
that the grandparent was looking also. Ah, what it took to entertain a kid
in those days. Imagine no electronic equipment except a light switch.
That, plus a walk of at least a quarter of a mile, just to flip a switch.
We never knew that our existence was just not very exciting by today's
standards.
In the early part of the fifties, probably in 1952, the
bridge toll was removed. The bridge was paid for and time for a
celebration. Politicians from Frankfort, as well as local politicians
gathered at the toll booth area. A red ribbon was stretched across the
highway and if you were just a passerby, you just had to wait. A Ceremony
was held, speeches made, and the ribbon was cut. I think that a High
School Band, probably from Hartford, also was a part of the festivities,
but I may be wrong on that accord. At the end of the ceremony, the bridge
had free access and the toll collectors were out of a job. Later, the tool
booth was torn down. Now, for the next few years, the bridge made a
perfect place to stand to catch a ride to Central City. After all, some
western movie was playing at the Central City theatre and if a kid had a
quarter, maybe thirty-five cents, he could watch several movies and enjoy
a bag of popcorn. Then, it was a walk back to highway 62, and near the
"Y", to catch a ride back to Rockport. Yes, it was called "Hitchhiking",
but don't ever remember any problems and all got back home safe. After
all, we did learn from the best and none other than Charlie Thomas. There
is an old joke, some sixty years old that was told on Charlie Thomas.
Well, I am sure that there was many jokes told on or about him. The one
that I remember was about Charlie, his trip to Rome, and of him meeting
the Pope. But, that is another story and I am long on letter and will
get.
Thanks for looking and thanks for reading. I do appreciate
your time and interest.
Thanks. ;) .
See you........
jrd
:) .
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