Marysville in Union County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Reuben L. Partridge

“The Bridge Builder of Union County”

Rueben L. Partridge Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 3, 2017

1. Rueben L. Partridge Marker

Inscription.

Reuben L. Partridge. “The Bridge Builder of Union County”. , Mural by Curtis W. M. Goldsein, born 1966, Columbus, Ohio

Reuben L. Partridge (1823- 1900) designed and constructed hundreds of bridges in Central Ohio, many of which are in Union County. Mr. Partridge received a United States Patent for the “Partridge Truss” which was a unique covered bridge engineering feature. Four of his original covered bridges, constructed in the 1870s and 1880s still remain in Union County: Bigelow (1873), Culbertson (1872), Pottersburg (1872), and Spain Creek (1883).

Mr. Partridge also served as vice president of the Columbus Bridge Company and was responsible for the constructing the Bergstresser/Dietz Covered Bridge in 1887, located in southeast Franklin County. At age 77, Mr. Partridge was overseeing the removal of an old wooden bridge across Blues Creek in Taylor Township when a girder broke loose and Partridge stepped back out of the way, falling between the joists of the structure. As a result of his injuries he died on July 17, 1900.

The mural before you shows a portrait of Mr. Partridge in the middle of the wall, with his signature, tools, and blueprints to the left of a covered bridge that is reminiscent of the Partridge designed Reed Covered Bridge built in 1884 that collapsed in 1993. The mural also depicts an O. M. Scott buggy exiting the bridge. The O. M. Scott Company originally built buggies before it began selling grass seed by mail in the early 1900s.To the bridge’s right, a Holstein dairy cow and sprawling rural landscape represents Union County’s proud agricultural heritage. The mural was dedicated September 8, 2010 in honor of Reuben L. Partridge, “The Bridge Builder of Union County.”

The mural was made possible by through the generous donations of the Dayton Power and Light Foundation, Hatfield Chiropractic Clinic, McAuliffe’s Ace Hardware, Sherwin Williams Paint Company, Scott and Holly Underwood, and the Union County Chamber of Commerce. Assistance was provided by the Union County pARTnership, Marysville Uptown Renewal Team, City of Marysville, and the Union County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Mural by Curtis W. M. Goldsein, born 1966, Columbus, Ohio

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by the Dayton Power and Light Foundation, Hatfield Chiropractic Clinic, McAuliffe’s Ace Hardware, Sherwin Williams Paint Company, Scott and Holly Underwood, and the Union County Chamber of Commerce. Assistance was provided by the Union County pARTnership, Marysville Uptown Renewal Team, City of Marysville, and the Union County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Bridges & Viaducts. In addition, it is included in the Covered Bridges series list.

Location. 40° 14.245′ N, 83° 22.002′ W. Marker is in Marysville, Ohio, in Union County. It is at the intersection of North Main Street (Ohio Route 38) and East 4th Street, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 132 North Main St, Marysville OH 43040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Till Plains

and in the Columbus Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally,

Reuben L. Partridge image. Click for full size.

via Touring Ohio, unknown

2. Reuben L. Partridge

it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The All Ohio Balloon Fest Mural (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Herman C. Doellinger Ohio National Guard Armory (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Noah Orr (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Major General Robert Sprague Beightler (about 400 feet away); Union County, Ohio / Union County Courthouse (about 700 feet away); Union County Veterans Monument (about 700 feet away); Cyprian Lee House / Colonel Noah Orr, “Union County Giant” (about 800 feet away); The Oldest Brick House in Marysville (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marysville.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. The Bridge Builder of Union County: Reuben L. Partridge. Touring

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 3, 2017

3. Rueben L. Partridge Marker

full view of marker, at corner of sidewalk

Ohio website entry (Submitted on July 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Patent 127,791. Reuben L. Partridge's patent for "Improvement in Bridges" on the United States Patent Office website. (Submitted on November 5, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 3, 2017

4. Rueben L. Partridge Marker

marker and mural, seen from a distance

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 3, 2017

5. Rueben L. Partridge Marker

detail of mural, showing bridge and buggy. Stones are from original bridges

Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, October 3, 2017

6. Rueben L. Partridge Marker

detail of mural, showing portrait

Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 4, 2017, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,021 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 4, 2017, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. 2. submitted on July 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 4, 2017, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.