Urbanna in Middlesex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Bridge Over the Creek
Urbanna, Virginia
— The Museum in the Streets® —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 25, 2021
1. Bridge Over the Creek Marker
Inscription.
Bridge Over the Creek. Urbanna, Virginia. From the town's beginning, there has been either a ferry or a bridge near this site. County residents traveling to and from the courthouse in Urbanna complained over generations of the slow moving ferry across the creek. The construction of the first bridge came in the aftermath of county citizens voting to approve a referendum in 1849 to move their county seat from Urbanna to Saluda, in part because of the "slow moving ferry. The loss of the courthouse prompted several Urbanna businessmen to consider building a bridge along the colonial ferry path across from Rosegill into town. On August 7, 1858, they formed the Urbanna Toll Bridge Company to build and operate a toll bridge. Completed in 1859, the first one-lane bridge had a draw and a wide passing lane towards the center of the bridge. It was replaced in 1896 by the town's first two-lane, free bridge. The Virginia Department of Transportation took Urbanna Bridge into the highway system in 1928 and Fred Ward, local carpenter and boatbuilder, was the bridge builder. The bridge was widened in 1939 and rebuilt to equip a steel swing draw. The concrete bridge here today was completed by the state in 1957 and was named in 2001 the Beryl R. Newman Memorial Bridge in honor of Newman, who won the Medal of Honor on January 15, 1945 for his heroics in World War II. Newman operated a seafood business in town where the town marina now stands.
From the town's beginning, there has been either a ferry or a bridge near this site. County residents traveling to and from the courthouse in Urbanna complained over generations of the slow moving ferry across the creek. The construction of the first bridge came in the aftermath of county citizens voting to approve a referendum in 1849 to move their county seat from Urbanna to Saluda, in part because of the "slow moving ferry. The loss of the courthouse prompted several Urbanna businessmen to consider building a bridge along the colonial ferry path across from Rosegill into town. On August 7, 1858, they formed the Urbanna Toll Bridge Company to build and operate a toll bridge. Completed in 1859, the first one-lane bridge had a draw and a wide passing lane towards the center of the bridge. It was replaced in 1896 by the town's first two-lane, free bridge. The Virginia Department of Transportation took Urbanna Bridge into the highway system in 1928 and Fred Ward, local carpenter and boatbuilder, was the bridge builder. The bridge was widened in 1939 and rebuilt to equip a steel swing draw. The concrete bridge here today was completed by the state in 1957 and was named in 2001 the Beryl R. Newman Memorial Bridge in honor of Newman, who won the Medal of Honor on January 15, 1945 for his heroics in World War II. Newman operated
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a seafood business in town where the town marina now stands.
Erected by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 5.)
Location. 37° 37.998′ N, 76° 34.318′ W. Marker is in Urbanna, Virginia, in Middlesex County. Marker is on Watling Street (Route 1004) 0.1 miles south of Urbanna Road (Virginia Route 227), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 45 Watling Street, Urbanna VA 23175, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 25, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 25, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
