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Freshet...


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Main Entry: fresh·et

Pronunciation: \ˈfre-shət\

Function: noun

Date: 1596

 

1 archaic : stream 1

2 a : a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow b : a swelling quantity

 

The National Road Bridge over Will's Creek. March 14, 2010

 

narrows-freshet2_lrg.jpg

 

narrows-freshet1_lrg.jpg

 

The stone pillar in the first photo is, essentially, all that's that left of the original stone bridge over Will's Creek. (The are some remains on the opposite bank in the area at the left end of the wood fence.)

Cumberland had a history to devastating floods until the construction of the Will's Creek Flood Control Project in the 1950s. The old stone bridge, circa 1835, was bypassed by the new bridge in 1932. The remaining structure was removed during construction of the flood control project.

 

The original bridge was built with arches sufficiently wide and high to allow canal boats to pass underneath. Early plans for the C&O Canal had it traveling on to PA via Will's Creek.

 

msa-bridge-wills-1890_lrg.jpg

The original bridge

 

~ Steve

Edited by Steve_Colby
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