Mr. Nutt was a bridge builder. He had worked with the Winamac Bridge Company before serving two terms as County Surveyor. Shortly after his second term, he approached the Winamac Park Association. He proposed a pedestrian bridge that would withstand the continual flooding of the Tippecanoe River, connecting the Town on the west with the newly-restored park on the peninsula.

The story is a bit more involved than this, but let’s go with the short version for now. When the contract was awarded in April 1923, Mr. Nutt left immediately for Chicago. He soon accepted a railroad delivery of a “kit” bridge from the Chicago South Works. An engineer, he had taken the measurements to determine the appropriate height and length of the bridge and the appropriate depth of the footers. He used those measurements to order the kit and worked with another local company - Winamac Cement Products Company - to supply and place the concrete.

Unheard of in today’s terms, the bridge was completed approximately two months after the contract was awarded, in time for its dedication on July 4, 1923. Memorial is the third-oldest suspension bridge (still in use) in the State of Indiana.

The peninsula was used for many years to pasture livestock. Until bridges were erected, crossing of people or livestock was accomplished by ford or ferry, all based at the end of Main or Pearl Streets. In 1849-50, a wooden bridge was attempted. Before it could be finished, a flood washed it away.

Around 1857, a wooden bridge was built below Main Street. After a few years, it washed away. Another was built in the same place during the Civil War. It, also, was swept away. In 1892, another footbridge was put up. The sand in the river bott0m caused it to settle unevenly. It was moved to more solid bottom. That bridge failed and attempts to build a permanent bridge ended. Instead, each summer, a wooden footbridge was put across the river from some point near the artesian well to the park. The bridges would be erected in time for the annual Old Settlers’ picnic and would remain in place until high water or ice removed it. No bridge ever survived the winter, and some had to be replaced before they had been in use for a month.

This bridge, given the history of bridges at this horseshoe bend, fighting against the river, has been a true success.

The Winamac Kiwanis Club was formed in late 1921. The Club approached the Town of Winamac about purchasing the land in the area of the artesian well from a private owner. The Town agreed, and the Club took on the task of turning it into a campground for “motoring tourists.” In 1922, the privately-owned Winamac Park Association made a significant investment in the park on the peninsula, upgrading it for citizens and tourists. When R.E. Nutt approached the Park Association about a permanent footbridge, the Association and the Kiwanis Club saw this as the perfect opportunity to turn Winamac into a tourist destination. The Association got a commitment from the Town to assist financially with the bridge, and the result lives on, 100 years later.

Because the bridge was constructed shortly after the Great War, civic leaders dedicated it to the “soldiers and sailors” from Pulaski County who had served in all wars. Named “Memorial,” it is perhaps the most significant landmark in Pulaski County.

Winamac doesn’t have a multitude of 'tourists' anymore, but hundreds, probably thousands of people - residents and visitors from all over the country - still enjoy and use the bridge every year. On a daily basis, families; children, youth and adults; residents, tourists and those visiting home, walk across.

In response to a photo on Facebook, a former resident said, “I am thankful for all the memories this one photograph gives: holding hands, first kisses, shooting stars, sharing elephant ears, group photos, gently falling snowflakes…watching the sun go down, fireworks, worm hunting, tubing, fishing, picnics, long walks…shared secrets…birthday parties, family reunions, county fairs, power of the past, meeting for lunch and that funny feeling in your tummy when walking across.”

The bridge itself is as powerful as the memories. The river has risen to threaten the bridge multiple times, and yet it stands tall and proud. Unlike its predecessors, each losing to the river, Memorial lives on. And now, it can light the way home for our heroes.

At the end of the centenary celebration and rededication of the bridge, held on July 3, 2023, a switch was flipped, and the result is this.

For more information, come to the Historical Society Museum, where a history of the bridge and information about the Memorial Swinging Bridge Project can be found. Or visit www.memorialswingingbridge.com.

If you’re interested in being a featured collector please reach out through the Historical Society's email, info@pulaskihistory.net.

And the bees come to visit.....

The Historical Museum exists to save and exhibit items of interest to Pulaski County. We have limited space, both for display and storage. As such, we must be judicious in the items we accept.

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This poem was written in the summer of 1979 by Mary K. Wiesjahn Williamson. a Star City native. She was born in 1918 and died at the age of 99 in 2018. If you would like to catch up on the series, it started in the January 2023 edition of the e-newsletter. FIND IT HERE.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to support your local Historical Society!

Finally, we will explore a time many of our visitors remember, the inflation of the 1970s. While having complex causes, its outcomes presented real challenges for everyday Americans. Just like today, debates over inflation entered the political arena with Gerald Ford launching his WIN campaign, an acronym for Whip Inflation Now. LEARN MORE

The Indiana Barn Foundation will hold its 2023 Forum and Annual Meeting on Saturday, July 15^th, at The Rustic Barn at Hopewell in Urbana, IN, in Wabash County. The featured speaker will be timber framing specialist Rick Collins, owner of Trillium Dell/Firmitas in Galesburg, IL. His talk is entitled, "Practical Stewardship: Barns and Historic Timber Structures - How everyday folks can save and preserve their timber buildings."

To register go to the link on the IBF website. For more information please email.

The event will be located at 2238 N 500 E, Urbana, just 15 minutes NE of Wabash. Please go to this website for details on restaurants and accommodations and how you can make a weekend of your visit.

Start thinking about grant requests now. The DAR Historic Preservation Grant application opens August 1 and funds projects up to $10,000. More information and eligibility requirement are available at DAR Historic Preservation Grants | Daughters of the American Revolution

The successful operation of the society relies on contributions from members and friends. The Society maintains Membership and Sponsorship programs and collects contributions outside both of those programs.

President: Ryan Harrison

Vice President (& Past President): Kathi Thompson

Secretary: Janet Onken

Treasurer: Lin Morrison

Curator: Vacant

Terms Ending 2024

Terms Ending 2025

Terms Ending 2026

Ex Officio: County Historian (also County Genealogist) Mary Conner

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