OLD BEAR CREEK BRIDGE - WEST SIDE of SIDELING HILL MTN.     (Map It)

The current bridge over Bear Creek (shown below), on the old National Road (McFarland Rd), has the appearence of an original stone bridge... But I believe it is an imposter.

The 1900 USGS map below would seem to indicate the original road alignment, over Bear Creek, took a jog to the north of the current road. SHA photos show improvements along this road and the Sideling Hill Bridge circa the early 1930s. The remains of the Bear Creek stone abutment in the photo below are similar in look to the early Sideling Hill Creek stone abutments.

The zoomable photo below show a concrete bridge deck beside, what looks like, an earlier stone bridge abutment. It's unknown whether the concrete deck is from the later Bear Creek bridge or was added at some point to the earlier bridge.

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I believe this postcard depicts the original Bear Creek/McFarland Rd. Bridge. It's conceivable that stone from the original bridge was taken to be used in the later bridge.


(Postcard courtesy of Christopher Busta-Peck)

~ Steve Colby