Fairmont and Palatine Suspension Bridge, ca. 1900
Posted by: 
garmin_geek
N 39° 28.939 W 080° 08.345
17S E 574040 N 4370655
This suspension bridge (1852-1908) spanned the Monongahela River between Fairmont and Palatine, WV and was the site a Civil War battle for its possession on April 28, 1863.
Waymark Code: WM8GAB
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 03/29/2010
Views: 6
Circa 1900
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2010
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Confederate forces under Gen. william E. Jones attacked Fairmont to distroy the B&O Railroad bridge upstream at present-day 12th Street.
In 1838, the town of Palatine was laid out on the east side of the Monongahela River, opposite Middletown. It was settled by Germans from the Palatinate States of southwestern Germany and they named the town after their homeland. It was incorporated in 1867. In 1899, Fairmont, Palatine, and neighboring West Fairmont were merged into a single city.
On January 22, 1852, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Fairmont, opening up the area for economic development, especially the development of the area's coal mining industry. Also that year a suspension bridge, the Great Iron Bridge, was constructed to accommodate foot and wagon traffic between Fairmont and Palatine. (http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/wv/Marion/marhistory.html)
Photo taken from West Virginia Civil War trails sign " Battle for the Bridge"