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Bridgin past f f i g { g e J' 1 | II' S Ot ) 912 Men,.machines disturb idyllic sp By PAT MOAURO \_â€" being built across:the creek to replace the 75â€" _ have gathered in and around thg (l;ld swimâ€" of The Free Press yearâ€"old span. _ N‘ 4 ming hole on some days to swim, fish anq picâ€" BIRR â€" The old swimming hole in Medway For at least four years, area residents have â€" nic. * & j Creek just east of here won‘t be the same been expecting the new bridge, which they reâ€" Mr. White‘s wife, Anne, sgld she 5 sorry to‘ again. alize is needed. But the loss of the swimming _ see the: old spot altered "because I‘m sentiâ€"! j Generations of youngsters â€" and adults â€" hole‘s former unspoiled beauty still has come â€" _ mental. I can remember very enjoyable times | ' have spent many happy hours cavorting in the as somewhat of a shock to the nostalgicâ€"mindâ€" _ the children and their friends have had." _ Â¥: creek. They swam and fished from the old ed. f Mr. White, 50, who haslived on Concegs:on * : oneâ€"lane steelâ€"trussed bridge on Concession 13, Ron White, owher of Brookâ€"Nâ€"Hill farm on â€" 13 all his life, recalled diving off the old bridge Nxz London Township. the south side of the bridge site, concedes "a _ ‘with friends when he was a teenâ€"ager. j 7 The old bridge and two big willow trees that little sentimentality" is involved. Three of the Whites‘ children, ,Patty, 16, y drooped their protective, shady boughs over "It was kind offa pretty spot down there," Lynda, 21, and Nancey, 19, haven‘t used the E: § ¢ the swimming hole are gone. he said. "On hot; sultry Sunday afternoons, swimming hole for about four years, but a § Men and machines have moved onto the cars from all overwere down there." fourth child, Steve, 11, has played there reâ€" . site, altering some of its former quaintness About 40 huge fvillows on both sides of the _ cently with his raft. $ and disrupting the tranquility of the idyllic creek and on thpâ€"north and south sides of The raft bobs gently in the creek next to the Tess spot. o brigy. ; _ Concession 13, still provide cool, shaded areas. _ workmen and a gasolineâ€"powered pump syâ€" A concrete twoâ€"lane, 53â€"foot long ‘bridge is Residents saidas many as 30 or 40 persons phoning water from an excavation for the e % bridge footings. f < { 7 ie Jack Legg, 27, operator qf "a variety store § F y _ and gas bar in Birr, reminisced ab'out !us » yA childhood experiences in the old swimming 4 f hole. ¢ e atooe Set in es e o He recalls the raft he andll(lji; frie?ds made 4 + 3 uon 2C $ee. es ue ya Je ~@F am {a ut a T es e â€"as theyâ€"played outâ€"their childhood antasies, / S ‘\‘7""‘;3’ o }%f 3*"’" P &’f’&,’% “ I:é;‘( perhaps best illustrated by Mark Twain‘s & wA 3 % j{(;‘&‘&, 2092 y}“’sw%;(, ap e y o s ‘é s/s stt [C€, Huckleberry Finn. . i y t Airar . + s g“fiwfiifi“& %@é ie t s _ TL was out of Huck Finn," he said, recalling : s 3 3 xc riuat . y yy" JAE W{x&%tfi ig;”y’w“’g**@’* "\ the rope on a tree, fishing and ‘camping and ‘ t 2 * M z,s;:," ht uo. t ie ,,;1:;;.j.-';';‘g'-;“.fg::g;gfi;‘,«;f;‘ w ‘}x\,?§~, the friends who rode a horse and bicycles into . $"~s . . is eb ‘»«s‘ o ?*3}fi$”“ »‘“"%M"}.~ the water. taks" uce s3 *‘*‘g\{\w §'W;‘,§§$ 2‘ es '“""*"s;‘; ,W{‘&«*”Z‘ e ‘"It was almost like a nature retreat," he > . y Hy * sc y ho s$s “"g‘}.*g.g‘%‘xg:,gfi xf:“ ,»»qfa‘“f‘ ; :’}x{p:{!’:“ ce said, recalling Baltimore orioles in the wilâ€", € 3§'* fae‘. . 5 A 3 \% e *'e\?g g( *i.*fi 4535;* z. k@} C "”&WW/; lmys, barn s\‘v’allov._s under the brldge and se ies ~. c ons s e T. J $‘ onl e Cl as. ”‘; painted turtles and big carp in the creck. i A ;w* ie v; m orercay .. e )li; & *“,‘ ; e tss in Mr. Legg also laments that Medw ay Creek :‘:*,_7‘_‘3 ue »‘& i ; e he / A g % * _ e e &,p&,” en / h 33 is gradually dying. He said the water isn‘t 2 Papityt e ic 2x t s ulc y cl t <! _ D ho o a." moving fast énough and the creek isn‘t being & * 6 ,. "wh age : C3 l -._:': j K. uk. ‘ t ‘;\ ‘,§ fi l :l‘; ‘)%&/ 3 :‘& 3 4".:/‘»{4‘{;‘:"\ m aintaine{i. °s y.orie . 2 ts s o ons r i c ht td ‘The bridge had to go in there," he said. : < oc ue Et ‘s -Q‘ K»s; lcet. f"t ,"* ‘"But I hope the township will preserve it (the { y .z _ p). * i2 ron W aretr E *>> Ex s s s e *3 > swimming hole area) for fishing, overnight wA c Feâ€" o sA e c t e ych y ty ooo e oX hikes, on a lowâ€"key level, not like a national es al _ * _ M<"\%3m:»:w~:, 2 ~â€"â€". > .,”'{,; y 2e e s park."" #f : â€" @ “;»?3‘“ in w»ilh â€" . o [ . ATe l o 2 .: mitl?nde_nt, ls,lald Illéa refl;zes tllJmtt .:lomclrusldell}]ts . Pasica pnsgt es S t ts ues tt ie bautis. ... _ _ _ _ e MHHS nbutmnnhitintemon oi e is e cAE d‘ J I se / know a e m NC w C y i uie SnaspmgmmeaPifeiens â€" bridge nascoming _ * U Cw the E %: "f? fe ffl;;: & Q:’?’ e’ s %\M*“,W gfi&&w‘ /.-’ "We took down jlusit two u‘eels," hesai g 3 ‘t‘We se > Yoak mvw"””,«*“‘ ”‘“2”«”“%»’ don‘t want to spoil the natural setting. But we t s fi@” e 5t es fi’%w»”*?*{”fi§ww”%€”ffi”%f§”M&’?ff;,,é‘ i can‘t supply them with another pool." + < P e 5 o a oz ul d in‘ e‘ e on on s The $84,000 bridge, being built by Facca , 2 t n ® &,; ie wrrine es t 2 Construction Co. Ltd. of Maidstonc, is expectâ€" ; E z. fi» A /. $s oh. L ’1“?‘5“«1»‘»,‘ > said. He said it‘s too dangerous for anyone to : f o PAE _ ym ase,. o o ‘%’fi"‘*‘ww eX swim in the bridge area during construction. § ty on it "°~‘~v(“»:\f * By next summer, the new swimming hole . t oi e t e t l o iss ‘‘will be as good or better" than the old one. At . p ce y s ¢ es s i in o e swimming hole last weekend, but it just | a it . o en ucce e o ies ie Reminded that the new bridge is the price of t e t is l se i progress, Mr. Nunns asked, "What‘s progâ€" £i"% fata . y# es se . ~"Joil 53 s oA j&‘ yyaLL. . Somehow, residents feel something more vaâ€" . > ; es Te 2t o ces‘ s$2¢. t moie 1 _ luable has been lost. Those halcyon days of y } . ; ' 3. se e 2t y o To on s oo es es childhood and youth just can‘t be recaptured, . | ; %© â€" \> <.> o t cfi es hss at least at this swimming hole. : C S5 ; i. o e = * sc o e sc tss . t ~ By Edâ€"Heal.o.~â€"~ > #8 t The old swimming hole just east of Birr on Concession 18, _ yearâ€"old oneâ€"lane span. The new $85,000 bridge, being s s $ London Township, is starting to take on a modern image. _ built by Facca Construction Co. Ltd. of Maidstone, is to be | A twoâ€"lane concrete bridge is replacing the former 75â€" completed by August. | :