A few motorists heading south of Sidney on County Road 25 A
take the suggested detour across the Great Miami River past the jail, but most elect to
continue southward and go up Sulphur Heights Hill, bypassing the rapidly concluding
construction project that will result in a new bridge over the river. To most the site is
but another construction nuisance to be left in the rearview mirror, amid a cloud of dust.
Few realize that the ceremony marking the opening of the original bridge in 1933 caused
over 5,000 people to march from downtown Sidney there to pay tribute to a group that
always pays the ultimate sacrifice in wartime, but is now largely forgotten: the Gold Star
Mothers. Many will remember this Veterans' Day on November 11 at the bridge, when the new
structure is rededicated, and the surviving Gold Star Mothers recognized. This is the
story of the Mothers and how the bridge came to bear their name.
When the battlefield sounds of The World War (as World War I was then known) faded
away, numerous veterans groups such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign
Wars were organized to commemorate the memory of those who had died in the great conflict.
Formed of those who survived, these groups honored their comrades in arms routinely on
such occasions as Memorial Day and
Armistice Day. The healing process for them had begun. For another group, the broken
hearts would never heal.
Those mothers who lost a son in the World War
formed a bond in each town and hamlet across the country, sharing their hurt. It was not
until June 4, 1928, that an organization was organized that would be their own. The
nonprofit corporation was called the American Gold Star Mothers of the World War, Inc.
Although a state organization in Ohio was not set up until two decades later, a group of
Shelby County Gold Star Mothers formed soon after 1928.
Membership was not a coveted
reward. It began with the receipt of a telegram or the knock on the door: " We regret
to inform you that your son..." Minerva Snapp, the mother of Simon Peter Snapp,
received the first notice. He had enlisted with the 13th Canadian Battalion in 1914. His
death on April 9, 1918, brought the reality of war home to all Shelby Countians. His
notice was followed by 36 more received by mothers in Shelby County before the war ended.
It is apparent that the pioneers who
established Sidney around 1819 never imagined that the surrounding hills that gave this
valley shelter would become huge obstacles during the early years of the auto industry.
Getting out of town in a horse drawn vehicle was difficult, but Sidney's first cars could not
make the steep incline on such streets as East Court or Fair Road. Going south was worse,
with the steep grade and the curves on County road 25A up the hill across the Great Miami
River presenting a real challenge. As 1930 rolled around, greater power made the hill
easier to ascend, but the steepness of the grade and the curves were still problems.
Serious consideration was given to constructing a new bridge, thus reducing the grade and
eliminating the curves.
Local historical references establish that there was a Shelby County Gold Star Mothers
group was formed here about the same time as the idea of a new bridge was being
conceived.. Shelby County Gold Star Mothers met regularly, and also played the key role in
establishing a state organization for Ohio. The president of the national group, Mrs.
Burling of New York, nominated Mrs. Waldo Pence of Shelby County in 1937 to be the
principal organizer of the Ohio Department of the Gold Star Mothers. Mrs. Pence not only
established the Ohio chapter, but wrote the state song for the group, entitled "The
Gold Star Mother's Song."
The leadership role filled by Mrs. Pence in forming the Ohio Gold Star Mothers chapter
was emulated by other local members in later years. Mrs. Mabel Ferguson was the president
of the state group in 1951. Sidney was the site of the second state convention, with the
Ohio gold Star Mothers meeting at the Hotel
Wagner that year for a three day convention. Sidney was again the center of state-wide
Gold Star Mother activity when Mrs. Anna Neer took over as the Ohio president five years
later. The state convention was again held here at the Hotel Wagner in 1956. Mrs. Iva
Bunker, Mrs. Thomas Fair and Mrs. Herbert Bell were also state officers during the 1950s.
The Gold Star Mothers existed not to grieve for their lost ones, but to make a
difference for those veterans who survived. The Gold Star Mothers in Shelby County focused
their efforts on the vets in the V. A. Hospital in Dayton. Typical was the surprise
package they assembled for delivery to the soldiers in the TB ward in the Dayton V. A.
Hospital, and the veterans in the Old Soldiers and Sailors Home in Xenia. Each contained
18 different kinds of homemade cookies, Easter candy, chocolate, and other items. The
ladies also provided transportation for veterans to attend football and baseball games.
They are perhaps best remembered for their annual participation in Memorial Day ceremonies and the dedication of
the monuments to veterans on the courtsquare. The members wore a black arm band with a
star on it in the early years. The regular dress was modified later on to the now familiar
white uniform.
Below, members of the Gold Star Mothers unveil a new plaque that was placed at the new Gold Star
Mothers Bridge on
County Road 25A at the south edge of Sidney. The bridge was
re-dedicated in a ceremony on
Veteran's Day, November 11, 1999. There are seven
members of the Gold Star Mothers in Shelby County, Ohio.
Photo by John Hemp of Hemp Imagery.
[PLEASE NOTE: the picture above is
copyrighted; Hemp Imagery has authorized the Shelby County Historical Society to publish
in this location only.
Contact Hemp Imagery for information regarding any other
usage].
Perhaps it was this record of service, made by mothers who had
already paid such a high price, that inspired the planners to dedicate the bridge to their
them in perpetuity. It was to be quite a bridge. Part of the redesign of the Dixie
Highway, its construction was considered at the time to be an engineering feat. The
bridge, built on a seven percent incline, was one of the first of its kind in the nation.
Its design was a three span, continuous steel plate girder structure. The total length of
the bridge was 360 feet. The $60,000 project involved removing 33,500 cubic yards of rock
and dirt from the hill, and pouring over 24,000 yards of concrete. The 1999 reconstruction
project carries a price tag of $1,400,000.
The ceremony was a memorable one. Over 5,000
people walked or rode from the courtsquare to the new bridge. The Gold Star Mothers of
Shelby County sat in a place of honor while the ribbon cutting took place. The American
Legion's Singing Soldiers entertained along with the Piqua Drum Corps, the Shelby County
Boys Band and the Sidney Merchants Band. Fireworks concluded the special program, but the
most memorable moment of the evening occurred when the guest speaker stood to address the
crowd. He provided a fitting summary of what the Gold Star Mothers are all about when he
concluded: "The sacrifice of American Motherhood during war time is the greatest
thing in the history of the nation. The suffering of war is not all on the battlefield.
These mothers have no armistice."
Seven members of the Gold Star Mothers of Shelby County remain today. These mothers lost
sons in Vietnam. They will take their seats in a place of honor this Veterans' Day, as
their predecessors did 66 years ago, in a ceremony when the rededication of the new bridge
occurs. The bronze plaque installed on that August day in 1933 reads: "Dedicated to
the Gold Star Mothers of Shelby County, 1933." A new plaque will be unveiled
commemorating both the Gold Star Mothers and the bridge as important parts of our history.
Wording on the Plaque: The Gold
Star Mothers' Bridge.
The original bridge was built in 1933 and dedicated to the Gold Star Mothers on August 23,
1933. The Gold Star Mothers is an organization composed of mothers who have lost
sons or daughters in military conflict. The bridge was one of the first ever
constructed on an incline. The bridge was replaced and rededicated to the Gold Star
Mothers on November 11, 1999. Erected by the Shelby County Historical Society. Photo by John Hemp of Hemp Imagery.
[PLEASE NOTE: the picture above is
copyrighted; Hemp Imagery has authorized the Shelby County Historical Society to publish
in this location only. Contact Hemp Imagery for information regarding any other
usage].
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