Swinging Bridge celebrates it's 100th Birthday in 2006.
N 43° 04.234 W 092° 41.186
15T E 525529 N 4768698
Charles City, Iowa celebrates the use of this suspension bridge for 100 years.
Waymark Code: WMKTC
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2006
Views: 118
2006 will be the Year of the Bridge in Charles City- the Suspension Bridge that is. The Suspension Bridge, known to many area residents as the “swinging bridge,” has been part of Charles City 's landscape since 1906.
The suspension footbridge in Charles City, Iowa, is the only bridge of its type in the state. The bridge was built across the Cedar River in 1906 to serve as a shortcut for people who lived on the northeast side of town to cross the river for the popular Chautauqua celebrations held in the Lion's Field area.
Charles Hart, co-founder of the Hart-Parr Company (also founded in Charles City ), promoted and planned the bridge, and by the time it was finished July 31, 1906, it was generally understood that he paid for much of it.
O.B. Zimmerman, chief engineer at the Hart-Parr tractor factory, designed the 270-foot bridge and was the engineer who managed, supervised and inspected its erection.
The wear and tear of use through the years made it rickety, so in 1969, the Suspension Bridge was overhauled to make it safe once again. The local Lions Club with the assistance of many volunteers including several Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have taken on the bridge maintenance for more than 40 years.
In October of 1989, the bridge, which is located off the west end of Clark Street in Charles City , was named to the National Register of Historic Places.