A bridge to the past: Old Appleton to dedicate its refurbished bridge

For many of Old Appleton's 82 residents, the rededication of their restored historic bridge on Saturday will be an emotional day.

Childhood memories will clutter the minds of a majority of the longtime residents. Some will remember summer days of jumping off the bridge into Apple Creek. Or having picnics along the bank of the creek underneath shade trees.

Alma Unterreiner will probably relive her youthful days of fishing out a window from the old McClain Mill.

Others like Mary Jane Buchheit may think back to when the 15-foot high flash flood pummeled Old Appleton's original bridge on Dec, 3, 1982.

And Rene Dellamano will remember her late husband, who worked so hard to bring back the old bridge.

But for all of the residents, Saturday will finally cap off a nearly 25-year-old restoration project filled with numerous setbacks, including natural disasters and an uphill battle to raise enough funds.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the town will host a celebration with a parade, food and fellowship at the bridge off Highway 61.

"It will be the end of a long journey nobody thought would ever take place," said Mayor Kevin Amschler.

Although the journey took 25 years to complete, Old Appleton's residents never gave up restoring their beloved 126-year-old bridge.

The restored Old Appleton bridge was reflected in Apple Creek.

On Wednesday, Unterreiner walked across the 100-foot Old Appleton bridge. The 85-year-old lifelong resident never imagined she'd be standing over the waters of Apple Creek again.

"Boy, they really fixed this bridge up," Unterreiner said as she rubbed her hand over the red guardrails. Memories of her childhood came back to Unterreiner as she stood on its wooden planks.

Unterreiner lives on the Perry County side of Old Appleton, about 100 feet up the road from the bridge, in her childhood home. Her home is across the road from the former site of the McClain Mill. Her father was co-owner of the mill, which was also swept away by a flash flood in 1986.

"I didn't even see it go," Unterreiner said about the mill. "I was out of town in Kansas City. It's such a shame to see it gone."

Talking about the former mill brought a smile to Unterreiner's face.

"They made feed for cattle, horses, hogs -- just about every farm animal," she said. "I used to help my dad out when I was a kid. Every day I would run over there and help out."

Across the bridge, on the Cape Girardeau County side, sits two buildings. One was a former tavern that featured a beer-drinking mule. The other was the Buchheit's family-owned grocery store.

A bird house replica of the Old Appleton Mill was placed in the same area the mill once stood.

Buchheit, whose great-uncle was the co-owner of the mill, also grew up in the small town of Old Appleton.

"We have some great memories here. Generations of us learned to swim in this creek," said Buchheit looking down at the running waters of Apple Creek.

Rene Dellamano lives across the road from Unterreiner. Her family was a crucial part of restoring the bridge. Her son, Jan, used his tractor to pull the bridge out of the water after the flash flood in 1982. Dellamano's husband, Art, was an original member of the bridge restoration committee until he recently passed away.

Dellamano said her husband saw the completed bridge before he died. Last September contractors hoisted the red iron truss frame of the bridge into place. The decking and handrails were put into place a couple of months later.

"There were a lot of tears that came to people's eyes that day," Mayor Amschler said.

The cost of replacing the bridge was $519,000. Federal money from a Missouri Department of Transportation grant paid for 80 percent of the costs. Private donations and money from the town's road fund paid for the remaining expenses.

Last July, the Old Appleton town board awarded a $519,000 contract to A.E. Simpson Construction of Scott City to reconstruct the bridge.

A waterfall on Apple Creek is one of the attractions when visiting the Old Appleton Bridge.

The Old Appleton bridge is the last of its kind. It's the only remaining Pratt truss iron bridge in Missouri. And the town hopes to get it placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Built for $2,500 in 1879 by H.W. Sebastian and Co., of St. Louis, it was originally the first connection between Perry and Cape Girardeau counties. People crossed the bridge in horse and buggy, and later vehicles crossed over. But today, the bridge is only open for pedestrians and bicycles.

"We persevered. It's been hanging by a thread for the longest time, and now it's finally complete," Dellamano said. "I'm just hoping tornadoes don't come through here and take our bridge away from us again."

And as Alma Unterreiner walked back towards her home on Wednesday, she took one more look at the restored Old Appleton bridge and smiled.

"I just get so tickled when the kids come here. The first thing they do is grab a handful of rocks and run to the bridge to throw them in the water," she said. Which is exactly what the 85-year-old used to do when she was a child.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246