Happy 4th of July! On this date in 1874 the Eads Bridge officially opened! James Buchanan Eads was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana on May 23, 1820. In 1833, 13 year old Eads arrived in St. Louis with his family. Tragically, just as the steamer was nearing the landing it caught fire. The Eads family lost all of their belongings. Though a well know engineer later in life, Eads received no formal education and was self-taught by reading the books of his then employer, a dry goods merchant – Barrett Williams. Work in and around the Mississippi sparked invention from Eads in the form of a ‘diving bell’ which he utilized to salvage ships lost to the great river. These salvage activities gave Eads an understanding of the river that he would put to use as plans for a bridge were discussed. July 4, 1874 saw the official opening of his unique bridge which spanned the mighty Mississippi River at St. Louis. For the first time steel was used as a primary building component in a bridge. once completed, it would be the largest arch bridge in the world. Hundreds of thousands turned out for the opening of the bridge which would have both railed and road decks crossing the Mississippi. In 1887 Eads’ health declined. In an attempt to improve his health he went to Nassau, Bahamas. He died there on March 8, 1887. He was returned to his home town of St. Louis and was laid to rest at Bellefontaine Cemetery. James B. Eads legacy, in the form of his bridge, is still used today by motorists and Metrolink 140 years after its opening. We will honor Eads with a wreath laying and reception July 11 at 3:00. All are welcome!
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 13:00:01 +0000
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