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The bridge of sighs
Chesterfield residents are 'devastated' by the loss, to Gaston, of a historic bridge

BY MEREDITH BONNY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 29, 2004


Bryan Walker checks out the remains of the Falling Creek Bridge, which was severely damaged Aug. 30 by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston.
P. KEVIN MORLEY/TIMES-DISPATCH
The Falling Creek Bridge was the scene of at least one wedding proposal. It was also the spot where Bryan Walker and other Bensley neighborhood children would gather to swim.

It carried traffic along Jefferson Davis Highway until the 1930s, when a new highway was built and the 1826 bridge was retired.

Now, the Falling Creek Bridge is all but washed away another victim of the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston.

"Everyone is so devastated," said Margaret Davis, who lives a few blocks from the bridge.

When Gaston hit, the creek nearly flooded Jefferson Davis Highway and de- stroyed the old stone structure.

The doubled-arched bridge once stretched 20 feet wide and 148 feet long. It was featured on the cover of Jeffrey O'Dell's book, "Chesterfield County Early Architecture and Historic Sites," and was the focal point of what is believed to be Virginia's first wayside park.





Now, it is all but gone.

Cordoned off by a chain-link fence, the bridge is nothing more than a pile of rocks and stone, covered in downed trees.

Some of the stones have washed more than 300 feet downstream. Davis and other members of the Jefferson Davis Association viewed the damage this week, just a few hours before heavy rains were expected to strike the Richmond region again.

Afraid there could be a natural-gas leak at the site, the fire department investigated but deemed the area safe.

"This was not only a big part of the history of Bensley but the history of Chesterfield. It means a lot to us to see that it is rebuilt," Davis said.

Supervisor R.M. "Dickie" King Jr., who represents the Bensley area, last week said he will seek funding to restore the bridge.

"These people have worked so very hard all these years and taken such pride in this landmark," he said. "We will do almost anything we can to . . . make sure we can rebuild the bridge if possible."

An official with the Virginia Department of Transportation said concrete patches will be used to temporarily protect the exposed portions of stone.

Jeanette Coleman, a spokeswoman for VDOT, said the agency met with federal and county officials to discuss the long-term options last week. A final decision has not yet been made, she said.

Norma Corbin, vice president of the Falling Creek Ironworks Foundation, said: "This is a great loss for all who were trying to revitalize this area."

The foundation has spent months raising money to build a visitors center and create trails and markers at the Ironworks site. They had hoped to couple the Ironworks with the bridge as a tourist destination.

Located off Jefferson Davis Highway, the 1619 Ironworks was the first foundry in the country.

"This is the gateway to Chesterfield County," said Bryan Walker, born in Bensley and president of the foundation.

Walker lamented the bridge damage.

"My wife said she wondered if I could come down here and take pictures without crying," he said.

Tom Jacobson, the county's director of revitalization, said he understood the residents' concerns and frustrations.

"Revitalization is difficult work," he said. "It requires communities to build on their assets and its history is clearly one of those important assets."

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