The people along the Ohio River near the town of Point Pleasant, WV, had long wished for a bridge. The river was not overly wide, but reaching the other side was difficult and sometimes impossible. In 1927 the area’s prayers seemed to be answered when construction of a bridge between Point Pleasant, WV and Kanauga, OH began. When completed the bridge was called the “Silver Bridge”.
On December 15, 1967, at the height of rush hour the Silver Bridge collapsed. Forty six people lost their lives that night. Almost everyone in the area and for miles around was touched by this tragic event. Using the archives of the Point Pleasant River Museum as a launching point, Stephan Bullard, Bridget Gromek, Martha Fout and Ruth Fout weave together period photographs and firsthand eyewitness accounts to create a compelling narrative of this horrific tragedy.
The Images of America book “The Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967” will be available at the Point Pleasant River Museum beginning October 1st. Martha and Ruth Fout, who work at the museum will autograph your book if you wish. Those who have viewed the book say it is a book well done, a book that families will cherish from generation to generation, it is a keepsake, it is a history book. Tourists will want to get the book because the collapse of the bridge was known through-out the world. It would make a great gift for Christmas or any other occasion.
There will be a reception at the Point Pleasant River Museum on December 15, the 45th anniversary of the fall of the bridge where all the authors are expected to be there to sign books. If you purchase your book early at the museum and want to bring it back to be signed by all the authors you may do so. Several family members of those who were on the bridge, some of the survivors of the collapse along with retired State Trooper Rudy Odell who was the first law enforcement officer, on the WV side, to arrive on the scene will be at the museum on that day.
The book will sell for $21.99 plus tax and there will be a small charge for postage if mailed. With a credit card you can make the purchase over the phone. If you have questions, please call Martha or Ruth at the museum 304-674-0144