Building Bridges in Harmar

Harmar Comes Together to Bridge the Gap
Victoria Freeman Powell

Marietta is a historic city, home to many amazing buildings, groundworks and structures; standing out amongst all of them is the Historic Harmar Bridge. Initially built as a covered bridge in 1856 for the use of horse and wagon traffic, the Harmar Bridge has lived many lives, being reincarnated to best serve the area time and time again. It was transformed into a railroad bridge with a swing span to accommodate boat traffic during the Civil War, then it grew when a pedestrian walkway was added by the city of Marietta to improve safety and walkability, finally becoming the bridge we know today. It was passed from railroad company to railroad company till The Historic Harmar Bridge Company took final possession of the bridge in 1985, keeping it open till 2020 when it was deemed no longer safe for pedestrian traffic.

The Historic Harmar Bridge Company partnered with the BB2C Makerspace to create an interactive scale model of Marietta's iconic bridge for Marietta Main Street’s First Friday “Peep” Show. The Peep sculpture was completed using modern woodworking techniques with the Makerspaces' laser engraver as well as digital fabrication (3D Printing) all available as classes to the community. Using Peep Marshmallows, the team was able to create a model that allowed the community to turn the bridge and show it in scale with the "water" below. The project was made possible by generous donations of time and supplies from the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, the BB2C Makerspace, Jared Wittekind, Brent Smith, Holly Hamrick & Victoria Freeman Powell.
 
“Joining forces with the BB2C Makersapce is a natural fit as we partner together to support the West Side,” said Allie Schultheis, Historic Harmar Bridge board member and Harmar Days Festival Chair. “We are looking forward to working together again this summer to debut our inaugural Artist Alley on Maple Street during the Harmar Days Festival.” Be sure to save the dates and attend Hamar Days July 28 – 30.
 
The Harmar Bridge Peep Sculpture can be seen on display at Baked on Maple during their business hours.