West St Bridge - circa 1929, 1985, 1993, 2005, 2016

2005, by Bob Thomas




2016, by Bob Thomas



1985, by Rene Elliott






The two photos above are from the 1990 MCS Yearbook.



1992 or 1993 from MCS 1993 yearbook page 136.

Photo at bottom, circa 1929, shared by Janet Washbon.

Bob Thomas
Some time ago Rene M Elliott asked if anyone had any photos of the stone bridge that used to be on West St. I found this one today. It is from January 2005. I wish you could see the bridge more clearly but this is the only shot that I have found so far. It was already closed to vehicle traffic at this time. This was taken looking upstream from behind the school bus garage.
If you go to the bridge site now and look from Upper West St toward the school you get a view like the second photo below taken in December 2016. In the second photo you can see the red bricks of the bus garage on the right hand side of West St.

Leona Shelley
Would this be the once beautiful bridge by the late Wilmer and Marilyn Crumb home?

Frank Rock
Yes

Leona Shelley
Oops! my error was Harold Crumb. Sorry folks.

Peggy Knapp McCrea
I used to babysit for the Crumbs.

Leona Shelley
Wilmer married Irene, sister to Liz Klindt. Just a little history.

Leona Shelley
The nice stone work around Harolds' house was done by Bob Joy, Cubbies dad.

Jesse Jacobsen
Wasn't wilmer...think it was harold...wilmer was billy crumbs dad, len, becky and dan crumbs dad was i thought harold

Leona Shelley
Yes, I had corrected my error!

Judy Knapp Reed
My sister, Peg, and I, used to walk up the creek from our house to visit Fanny Daniels. Those were such fun days. I'm so glad I grew up there during that era.

Rene M Elliott
I don't think the birdseye view from on (or above ?) the hillside gives a view of the bridge. This is why I wonder if it is the "high bridge" or "gulf bridge" described as being on the South New Berlin Road (the section of rt 23 from the flashing light on 51 to West St./Bourne Hill Rd. is relatively new, only a century old?).

Bob Thomas
Rene M Elliott - here's the photo you shared in Morris, NY - Smalltown USA -- is there bridge at bottom right or not?
http://ourtownnews.info/morris-ny/birds-eye-view-of-Morris-from-west

This is the only family photo I have found of the original West Street bridge over Calhoun Creek. Since the bridge was not the object of the photo, it is barely visible under the vegetation at the back of the picture. The photo seems to date from summer 1929 based on ages of the children. Clockwise, starting at 12 o'clock,my father John Gould Washbon, abt 13, his sister, my aunt Elizabeth Anne Washbon, abt. 4, their sister Diana Lee Washbon, abt.7, and with his back to us, Benjamin Howard "Benji" Matteson, their third cousin, abt. 10 (he was much taller than dad). The contours of the creek change each year with the spring floods. the kids are playing on the downstream side of the bridge that is now usually a swimming hole. This is before the "original" bridge washed out and the barrel of a tank car was used to reinforce the center of the bridge. Note how much smaller the opening of the semi-arch is than in the later picture with the tank car inset.