Shelby County Historical Society Board of Trustees member Rich Wallace speaks on the history of the Big Four Bridge during a celebration of the bridge’s 100th anniversary. The event was hosted by the Shelby County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Bill Schmidt, of Sidney, looks at a painting of the Big Four Bridge on display at the Gallery 2:TEN art booth. The booth was part of the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Big Four Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 5. Schmidt’s great grandpa, Thomas Schmidt, died in an accident while working on the construction of the Big Four Bridge. Thomas Schmidt was buried in Graceland Cemetery under the shadow of the bridge he had worked on.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Master of Ceremonies John Bertsch leads a crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to the Big Four Bridge during the 100th Anniversary Celebration. The event was hosted by the Shelby County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Mary Lou Leffel, of Sidney, grabs a free coin commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Big Four Bridge during a celebration of its birthday on Thursday, Oct. 5. The coins were distributed by the Shelby County Historical Society.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Judi Bloxson, left, of Orrville, has author, Scott D. Trostel, of Fletcher, sign a copy of his book “The Great Miami River Valley Railroad Realignment Projects” at the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Big Four Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
The Lehman Limelighters sing the “National Anthem” at the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Big Four Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Amelia Anderson, 5, of Sidney, eyeballs the many birthday cakes at the 100th Anniversary Celebration for the Big Four Bridge. The event was hosted by the Shelby County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5. Amelia is the daughter of Kyle and Samantha Anderson.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
A train crosses the Big Four Bridge as people attend the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Big Four Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Rain didn’t stop people from attending the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Big Four Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
People eat cake and chicken under a tent at the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Big Four Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
By Charlotte Caldwell
[email protected]
SIDNEY — A gathering of city and county officials, Shelby County Historical Society (SCHS) members, and the public celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Big Four Bridge at an event at Columbia Park on Oct. 5.
At the 100th anniversary program, SCHS Board of Trustees member John Bertsch was the master of ceremonies and provided an introduction, followed by Jim Alter of Grace Baptist Church with an invocation, the Lehman Limelighters singing the National Anthem, and Boy Scouts Troop 95 leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Later, the Senior Center Singers sang Beautiful Sidney “A Portrait in Song” written by Frank Lucas.
Shelby County Commissioner Julie Ehemann then read a proclamation declaring Oct. 5, 2023, as Celebration Day for the Big Four Bridge in Shelby County, and Sidney Mayor Mardie Milligan read a proclamation declaring Oct. 5, 2023, as Big Four Bridge Centennial Day in Sidney.
“Even though it’s raining, the fact that all of you came out tells a lot about this community and how they feel about history. When the Historical Society puts on a program everyone shows up,” Milligan said.
SCHS Board of Trustees member Rich Wallace then provided the history and current facts about the bridge. He said he passed under the bridge 32,000 times over the years on the way to work before he realized the historical importance of the bridge. He discussed the majesty and mystery of the bridge as he did in a previous article he wrote. The mystery portion includes the four people who died while working on the bridge and the speculation about a man buried in the bridge. Wallace interviewed a man in 1998 who was an eyewitness to a man falling in the concrete, and he received information from a woman who said her father and grandfather also witnessed the same incident.
“Opponents of that theory say that there was never a recorded death, no incident report, nothing was in the newspaper, so it’s a mystery to this day,” Wallace said.
Another mystery that was never solved was an attempt to blow up the bridge with dynamite. The windows blew out of some of the houses in the area but the bridge was undamaged. The police chief at the time, William O’Leary, could not crack the case.
Wallace said CSX estimates 25 trains go across the bridge per day, and the average CSX train has 100 cars, and each car typically carries 25 tons of freight, so the bridge has an economic impact of 330 million pounds a day of freight.
“This bridge and the construction methods used in it guarantee that, although you can see flaking on the exterior, that bridge is solid and will continue to serve for at least another century,” Wallace said.
Bertsch concluded the program with, “Sometimes the greatest gifts are in your backyard and you don’t realize it.”
