MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE HAER FL-26 (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER FL-26 Spanning Marquis Bayou at US 90 (SR10) East Milton Santa Rosa County Florida

PHOTOGRAPHS

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD SOUTHEAST REGIONAL OFFICE National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior 100 Alabama St. NW Atlanta, GA 30303

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26

Location: Spanning Marquis Bayou at US 90 (State Road [SR] 10) Milton Vicinity, Santa Rosa County, Florida. latitude: 30.627329, Marquis Bayou Bridge is located at latitude: - 87.0289, longitude, longitude: -87.029862, 30.2944. The coordinate represents the center of the bridge. This obtained from Google coordinate was obtained on October 1, 2012, by plotting its location on the Earth 1:24000 Milton North, FL USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map. The accuracy of the coordinate is +/- 12 meters. The coordinate’s datum is North American Datum 1983. The Marquis Bayou Bridge location has no restriction on its release to the public.

Present Owner/ Occupant: Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

Present Use: Vehicular transport To be replaced with a new bridge in 2013-14

Significance: This bridge was part of a larger project that included creating a grade separated crossing for SR 1 at the Louisville & Nashville (L & N) Railroad east of Milton, relocating a stretch of SR 1 to eliminate dangerous driving conditions, and constructing a new bridge spanning the bayou. Federal funds, partially related to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), were used. In 2009, the Marquis Bayou Bridge was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criteria A and C. For Criterion A, the construction of this bridge was part of an inter-related road improvement project that was constructed utilizing federal funds during the Great Depression. For Criterion C, the bridge embodies the distinctive characteristics of the reinforced concrete T-beam bridge that was common during the early twentieth century through the 1960s. This bridge has retained much of its historic integrity, including the typical slotted railing.

Historian: Rebecca Spain Schwarz, AIA Atkins, Tampa, Florida, December 2012

Project Information: This document was prepared by Atkins for FDOT, District Three, to fulfill Stipulation II in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the bridge MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 2) replacement project. Marquis Bayou Bridge was determined structurally deficient and functionally obsolete and will be replaced with a new bridge on existing alignment. Historical research included in this documentation was condensed from the cultural resource assessment survey prepared by Atkins staff Philip Causey and Sharyn Thompson. Original plans provided on microfilm by FDOT were photographed by Penny Rogo Bailes (subcontractor from MamaRazzi Foto). Penny Rogo Bailes also took the large format photographs, with the assistance of Rebecca Spain Schwarz. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 3)

Part I. Historical Information

A. Physical History:

1. Date(s) of Construction: 1936-37

2. Architect/Engineer: Florida State Road Department

3. Builder/Contractor(s)/Supplier: Tidewater Construction Company (bridge construction); George D. Auchter Construction Company (earthwork and roadway); and Duval Engineering and Construction Co. (dredge and fill)

4. Original plans and construction: The Marquis Bayou Bridge is identified as Bridge No. 5800130 by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and has been recorded in the Florida Master Site File (FMSF) as 8SR1930. It has recently also been called the Macavis Bayou Bridge by FDOT. This bridge carries US 90 (State Road [SR] 10) over the Marquis (also known as Macavis) Bayou, approximately one half mile east of the City of Milton and just east of the Blackwater River, in Santa Rosa County, Florida. (See Figures 1 and 2.) It is a two-lane reinforced concrete T-beam fixed span bridge that was constructed in 1936-37. This bridge was part of a larger project that included creating a grade separated crossing for SR 1 at the Louisville & Nashville (L & N) Railroad east of Milton, relocating a stretch of approximately two miles of SR 1 to eliminate dangerous driving conditions, and thus requiring a new bridge spanning the bayou. The bridge was built, in part, with local labor funded through a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program; however, the bridge was designed by the Florida State Road Department, not by WPA.

Plans were prepared for the project in June 1935 (see Figures 3 to 7 for copies of original plans). Construction began in March 1936, and the bridge opened to traffic in May 1937. The steel reinforced concrete T-beam bridge has eight spans, with a total of 264 feet in length. The bridge is curved slightly so the joints between each span are at an angle to the roadway. A sidewalk runs along the northern side of the roadway, separated from the travel lane by a low concrete curb. The cast concrete railing running along both sides of the bridge has a “pierced” or “slotted” pattern of vertical, oval-shaped openings. This design was influenced by the art nouveau/art deco styles popular following the turn-of- the-twentieth century and is typical of architectural detail applied to reinforced concrete bridges in Florida during the 1920s-30s. The substructure of the bridge includes sixty 18- inch square reinforced concrete pilings; six pilings are aligned for each bent. The Tidewater Construction Company of Norfolk, Virginia, was the contractor for construction of both the railroad overpass and the Marquis Bayou Bridge. The George D. Auchter Construction Company of Jacksonville, Florida, was the contractor responsible for the earth work and fill for the Marquis Bayou Bridge and for construction of relocated SR 1. The Duval Engineering and Construction Company, a sub-contractor to the Auchter Company, did much of the extensive dredge and fill operation. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 4)

B. Historical Context: The following is a brief historic contextual description condensed from the 2009 CRAS.1

Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 but was not granted statehood until 1845. The town of Milton, located northeast of Pensacola in the Florida panhandle, was founded in 1825 as a trading post along the Blackwater River. For many decades it was accessible only by stagecoach or riverboat. Santa Rosa County was established in 1842, making it the 21st county in Florida. Milton become the county seat in 1843 and was incorporated in 1844.

Milton developed as an agricultural and lumbering center in the territorial period. By the 1850s, it was the county seat of the most industrialized county in Florida. Its lumber, bricks and ships made enormous contributions to the growth of Florida. During the Civil War, Milton was a shipping point for cotton and wood. After the Civil War, post war growth was rapid and centered on the timber and naval stores industry. The L&N Railroad extended their line into Florida in the early 1880s. A 170-mile link from Pensacola to Chattahoochee, Florida, running through Milton, was completed in 1883 and allowed the timber industry to flourish in north Florida. In the antebellum period, five shipyards, two brickyards and several sawmills operated in the vicinity of Milton.

When the timber resources became depleted around 1900, interests turned to farming. The Great Depression and the depletion of timber resources caused the slow decline of this industry in the twentieth century. However, since that period reforestation has been practiced2. Agriculture, particularly cotton and soybeans, has been the major economic activity of Santa Rosa County since that time. It has remained rural in nature and sparsely settled.

A bridge was built across the Blackwater River in the early 1900s at the foot of Grace Street, replacing the ferry which operated from the end of Berryhill Road for over 70 years.

Programs sponsored by the federal government during the Great Depression were vital to the survival of Milton and Santa Rosa County. Road projects, such as the construction of the railroad overpass and the Marquis Bayou Bridge, employed skilled and unskilled laborers from Milton and Santa Rosa County, providing a much needed economic boost to the local economy. As early as 1933 a delegation of Santa Rosa County politicians along with Congressman Millard Caldwell made several budget requests to the Florida Road Department. Among the requests was funding for the construction of an overpass over the L&N Railroad track, the relocation of SR 1 and the construction of a bridge over Marquis Bayou. In the summer of 1933, $5,231,834 of federal funds was made available for public construction projects in Florida. These projects were vitally important to the economic and business enterprises of Milton, but other federally funded, non-road projects contributed equally to the economic growth of the region.

1 Phillip D. Causey and Sharyn Thompson, A Cultural Resources Assessment Survey of the Macavis Bayou Bridge Replacement, Santa Rosa County, Florida, Atkins North America, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, 2009, Ms. On file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida. 2 William Bean, “Santa Rosa County,” Guide to Florida’s Historic Architecture, edited by Mary Nell Reeves and Diane D. Greer (Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1989), 8-9. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 5)

As World War II approached, harvestable trees were disappearing and the lumber industry began to decline. The war created a need for naval aviators and the United States Navy built Naval Air Station Whiting Field north of Milton in 1943. Over time Whiting Field and its associated outlying fields became the preeminent training facility for naval aviators. The opening of bases like Whiting Field prompted a need for housing for the civilian and military personnel stationed there3. Bayview Heights, a 200-unit housing project located in East Milton, was the first of the war-time housing subdivisions built in Milton, under authorization of the Federal Housing Authority. It was platted in February 1944. Milton Courts, located just east of the Marquis Bayou Bridge between US 90 on the north and SR 1 on the south, was platted in October 1944. The 1937 Marquis Bayou Bridge provided access between Milton and East Milton. Whiting Field was extremely important to the economy of Milton and remains an important economic factor in the community4.

History of Federal and State Road Projects and Reinforced Concrete T-Beam Bridges

The reinforced concrete T-beam Bridge is included within the category of “slab, beam, girder and rigid” types of bridges, which are truly the “common” bridges of all those built in the first half of the twentieth century, up through the early 1960s. A large number were built during the 1920s and 1930s. The T-beam was more economical than the concrete arch or slab for lengths in excess of twenty-five feet and this type of bridge was one of the earlier types to be standardized by state highway departments.

T-beam bridges consist of cast-in-place reinforced concrete beams with integrated deck sections5. When viewed on end in cross-section, the upper horizontal slab (deck section) of this type of bridge constitutes the top of the “T” and the lower vertical section constitutes the stem of the “T.” When viewed in side elevation, the lower stem appears as a longitudinal beam supporting the slab (deck). To address tension, steel rods are set in the slab section. The rods of the stem and of the slab are usually tied together by U-shaped hangers, making the slab and stem unified structural components of the T-beam. The slab is therefore an integral part of the beam. The T-beam can be constructed as a simple or continuous span, but is commonly found in bridges of no more than fifty feet in length6. The early twentieth century was an era of tremendous advances in bridge building technology, with the evolution of more durable materials, the development of standard plans and the growth of a cadre of specialized bridge engineers and state highway departments. Other forces contributing to the advances were the Good Roads Movement and Federal legislation, and events such as the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II. The national “Good Roads

3 William Adams, Historic Properties Survey of Santa Rosa County, Ms on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida, 1990. Alan Grantzhorn, Santa Rosa County Historical and Architectural Survey, Milton-Bagdad Area, Ms. on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida, 1984. 4 Ibid 5 Florida Department of Transportation, Historic Highway Bridges of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida, 2004, 121. 6 Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage, A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types (National Cooperative on Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Council, National Research Council, 2005), 3-88. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 6)

Movement” emerged in the 1890s with the goal of improving the condition of local roads. In 1915, the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering was created by consolidating other offices. This was followed by the Federal-Aid Road Act of 1916 which acknowledged the need for a more efficient road network that connected the states. The Act provided for the construction of rural public roads with federal contributions not to exceed fifty percent of the local estimated cost of each road project and specified that each state had to maintain the roads constructed under the Act’s provisions. In addition, in order for a state to receive federal highway aid, it had to establish a state highway department if it did not already have one7.

In anticipation for this Act, Florida created a State Road Department in 1915. There was a slow transition from solely local control of roads to state supervision of major roads. It was not until 1923 that the Florida Legislature officially designated a system of state roads and identified eight priorities. Road No. 1 (later known as SR 1) was at the top of this list to link Pensacola to Jacksonville. Eight more priority projects were designated in 19258. By the 1920s, newly- funded state DOTs controlled large amounts of federal construction monies, which were tied to federal restrictions, such as the use of approved standardized bridge designs9.

But by the 1920s, highway bridge design had been elevated to the high standards of design, construction and maintenance of railroad bridges, due both to the growth in the engineering profession and to the government adoption of standardized bridge designs10. By this time, bridge engineers had fully liberated concrete bridges from dependence on the arch. The design innovations devised for concrete replaced the truss bridge, the most popular nineteenth century bridge type, as the standard American bridge. They were described in publications as permanent, in that they purportedly required minimal maintenance, in contrast to the continual upkeep required for wood and metal trusses11. State Road Departments created standard plans for concrete and metal bridges using proven, up-to-date technologies. These designs were to be used on state highways and could also be used by the local (county or city) governments on local roadways.

Throughout the country, reinforced concrete technology grew steadily through the first three decades of the twentieth century and became the dominant bridge type. The selling points of concrete were its durability and minimal maintenance, less reliance on the big steel companies, and they were touted as “more aesthetically pleasing and less visually intrusive in rural areas than metal truss bridges.” Because of the tremendous demand for roadway bridges in the 1920s and 1930s, reinforced concrete bridges, which could be quickly erected, were often the bridge of choice for highway departments and local governments with tight budgets12. In the 1920s and 1930s, T-beam construction became the norm. New, standardized T-shaped beams, or

7 Ibid, 2-20 through 2-22. 8 Florida Department of Transportation, Historic Highway Bridges of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida, 2004, 38. 9 Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage, A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types (National Cooperative on Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Council, National Research Council, 2005), 2-23 and 2-24. 10 Ibid, 2-25. 11 Ibid, 2-25 and 2-26. 12 Ibid, 2-26. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 7)

“T-beams,” supplanted the deck girder, and had lighter, non-structural railings. These T-beam structures required considerably less concrete to build than either the slab or the girder13.

In addition to the technological advances in materials and function, aesthetics became a much more important facet of bridge design. In the early twentieth century, bridges often reflected the Beaux Arts Style promoted by the City Beautiful Movement. At first, bridge designers, who had little experience in concrete structures, left the surface plain. After a few years of working in concrete, these engineers became more creative, creating decorative features in concrete. Depression-era bridge designers often considered aesthetic appeal in the bridges they designed and built14. The handrail used in the Marquis Bayou Bridge was identified on the plans as Standard Index No. 93615.

During the Great Depression, the federal government’s work programs were a boon for highway and bridge construction. The 1933 National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) provided federal grants for highway work with no state money required as an incentive to increase employment through road and bridge projects. This was followed a year later by the 1934 Hayden-Cartwright Act which extended the NIRA and for the first time allowed the use of federal dollars for highway improvements in municipalities. It also permitted funding of highway planning surveys. Subsequent legislation encouraged grade separating railroads and roads and widening bridges, such as the project in East Milton.

Another well known federal program from the New Deal era was the Works Progress Administration (WPA) which was a relief measure established in 1935. Between 1935 and 1943, the WPA built or maintained over 570,000 miles of rural roads, erected 78,000 new bridges and viaducts, and improved an additional 46,000 bridges throughout the United States16.

13 Ibid, 2-26 and 2-27. 14 Ibid, 2-29. 15 State of Florida, State Road Department, “Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1 Project No. W.P.H. 14-A Santa Rosa Co.”, June 1935, Drawing 22. 16 Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage, A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types (National Cooperative on Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Council, National Research Council, 2005), 2-24. Note: The Marquis/ Bayou Bridge was built, in part, with local labor funded through a WPA program. The bridge itself was built to Florida State Road Department specifications and was not a WPA designed project. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 8)

Reinforced Concrete Bridges Similar to the Marquis Bayou Bridge in Florida

Within the geographic boundary of FDOT’s District Three, which consists of sixteen counties in the Florida panhandle, there are twenty-eight reinforced concrete T-beam bridges that were constructed between 1937 and 1959. Eight of these bridges, including the Marquis Bayou Bridge, are located in Santa Rosa County. The Marquis Bayou Bridge was the earliest built of the twenty-eight structures. It is not know if any of the other bridges had a similar handrail except it is known that the railroad overpass had the same style railings as the Marquis Bayou Bridge. The railroad overpass was replaced with a new overpass in 2003.

The “pierced” or “slotted” concrete railing was a common style of ornament on bridges constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. This somewhat elegant, but subtle, feature was an element of its time. The handrail used for the Marquis Bayou Bridge was a standard type for the Florida State Road Department. Although once popular, very few bridges known to have this same type of railing remain today in Florida. A few include the Brooksville Overpass (over the Seaboard Coast Line railroad) in Brooksville, Florida, built in 1936 and the T.N. Henderson Bridge/Hillsborough Avenue Lift Bridge in Tampa, Florida, built in 1939.

Historical Summary of the Marquis Bayou Bridge Construction

Work on east Milton road projects began as early as 1933, when a delegation of Santa Rosa County politicians, including Congressman Millard Caldwell, and Commissioners Charles Overman and H. W. Fisher, made several requests of Florida’s road department. Among the requests were that construction of an overpass over the L & N Railroad tracks on SR 1 be made in the town of Milton, and that construction of SR 1 at a new location through Milton be initiated17. That summer, when federal funds for public construction projects were allocated to various states and U.S. possessions, the state of Florida was awarded $5,231,834. These various highway projects were deemed necessary to ease the economic stresses of the Great Depression.

Numerous accounts in the Milton Gazette newspaper and from articles in the journals Florida Highways and subsequent publications associated with it, document that the Marquis Bayou Bridge was part of a larger project for east Milton. This project, given a variety of names during the 1930s, involved an overpass that eliminated the intersection of cross traffic with the L & N Railroad, the relocation of a stretch of SR 1 to eliminate dangerous driving conditions, and the subsequent necessity of a bridge over Marquis Bayou (now called Macavis Bayou). This inter- related project was variously called, among other names, the road re-location project, the overpass project, and the East Milton project.

The projects were constructed during the Great Depression and provided employment to Santa Rosa County’s populations through federally funded programs such as the WPA. The projects were vital to the general economy and business enterprises in the town. These were not the only road projects in Santa Rosa County that were supported by the Florida Road Department, nor

17 Florida Public Works, February 1933, 8. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 9) were road projects the only type of federal/state funded relief programs active in Milton and the county during the 1930s18.

Numerous articles dating from September 1933 to May 1937 of the Florida Public Works and the Milton Gazette, collected by the Santa Rosa Historical Society, chronicled the progress of this project and the importance it had to the local community. The Society’s extensive compilation of newspapers and journal articles was provided to Atkins for the CRAS. The following provides a brief summary whereas many of the articles are provided in more detail in the CRAS. Relevant excerpts from a few of the articles are included in this documentation.

Construction plans were prepared by the Florida State Road Department in June 1935. Near the close of 1935, the State proposed that a canal be cut for the bridge and road projects in East Milton. Dredging of a canal connecting Blackwater River with Marquis Bayou was proposed. Earth dredged from the canal would be used to construct fills for the highway. Opening of the canal, only a comparatively short distance, would serve several purposes. The dredging would provide necessary earth for the highway and the canal would make Marquis Bayou navigable to smaller craft and would relieve water pressure in the event of floods19.

In February 1936, the State of Florida solicited bids for the road projects. This was one of many grade crossing elimination projects throughout Florida and the nation. Construction of the proposed railroad overpass made it necessary to relocate the highway approaches and construct a new bridge spanning Marquis Bayou, which is between the Blackwater River bridge east of Milton and the L & N Railroad crossing. According to the Milton Gazette, local citizens rejoiced that the project was beginning. This project was considered highly desirable for safety and its construction would provide local employment since the contractors would be required to secure unskilled and intermediate grade labor from Milton and its vicinity.20

The Milton Gazette announced the winning bids for the east Milton road projects in the February 20, 1936 issue21. The Tidewater Construction Company of Norfolk, Virginia, was low bidder on the bayou bridge and George D. Auchter Construction Company of Jacksonville, was low bidder on the approaches and other work on the project. It was understood that assignments would be made through the WPA by allocating money from the federal works fund to the State Road Department. Elimination of railroad crossings was given preference by President Roosevelt in the public works program22.

By late April 1936, contractors had begun setting up for work. George Asbell, formerly of Panama City, was the project engineer for the State Road Department. Tidewater Construction Company, of Norfolk, Virginia and represented locally by C. W. Smiley, had the contract for

18 Phillip D. Causey and Sharyn Thompson, A Cultural Resources Assessment Survey of the Macavis Bayou Bridge Replacement, Santa Rosa County, Florida, Atkins North America, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, 2009, Ms. on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida. 19 Milton Gazette (12 Dec 1935, p. 1). 20 Ibid (6 Feb 1936, p. 1). 21 Ibid (20 Feb 1936, p. 1). 22 Ibid (5 Mar 1936, p. 1). MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 10) both the railroad overpass and the bayou bridge. Duval Engineering and Construction Company, under the direction of O. E. Balasus, were subcontractors for the fill work23.

Driving of the concrete piling on the East Milton railroad overpass was started in mid-July, 1936. After the last pilings were driven for the railroad overpass, the pile-driving machine would be moved to the site of the proposed bridge over Marquis Bayou24. Prior to pilings being placed for the bridge, fill had to be put in place. The dredge, located up Blackwater River about a quarter of a mile above the bridge, began pumping sand from the river bed to make the fill for the road from Marquis Bayou to the Blackwater River bridge. The fill would need to be sixteen feet above the level of the water. The draglines dug a canal in the road site so as to give the roadbed firm foundation. Sand was pumped through a large pipe from the dredge to fill up this canal and build up the fill25.

According to an article in the November 12, 1936, Milton Gazette, the railroad overpass was nearing completion and 170 men had been employed for this project. It was noted that driving the pilings for the Marquis Bayou Bridge would not be started for about three weeks. Test pilings had been driven, showing a bearing of more than 140 tons resistance. Engineers reported that this was an exceptionally fine bearing as the federal government requires around 50 tons resistance. The Marquis Bayou Bridge was designed to provide ample clearance above the water26. In January 1937, concrete paving for the relocated SR 1 was started at the east end of the project where the new road rejoins the old highway, east of the railroad overpass. Paving would be carried up to the bayou bridge, which was not yet completed. Contractors were still driving pilings for the bridge27.

East Milton’s relocated SR 1 received its “baptism of rubber” on Saturday morning, May 22, 1937, when the new stretch of highway was opened to motor traffic for the first time. Although many continued to use the detour and part of the old highway, most of the traffic entering and leaving Milton used the new concrete, and those who had become accustomed to turning right upon leaving the bridge when heading east have gotten used to the straightaway that leads to the overpass.

One of the finest pieces of road work and overpass construction in the state, this new stretch of road opens up a new territory immediately east of the bridge, and it is understood that several new filling stations are to be constructed along the route of the road.

Upon approaching Milton, motorists, when leaving the overpass, have a straight road into town, and can see the town as a whole while on the old approach Milton could not be seen until the motorist had reached Blackwater bridge.

23 Ibid (23 Apr 1936, p. 1). 24 Ibid (20 Oct 1936, p.1). 25 Ibid (27 Oct 1936, p. 1). 26 Ibid (12 Nov 1936, p. 1). 27 Ibid (12 Jan 1937, p. 1). MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 11)

The relocated road has been completed in every detail, grass is growing nicely along the shoulders, and motorists generally are enjoying the new approach to Milton28

When completed, the relocated road not only eliminated the sharp curve at the east approach to the Blackwater River bridge leading into Milton, but it also eliminated a dangerous railroad crossing and several other short curves. The highway as constructed in 1937 had only two curves and both were long and sweeping, well banked and not dangerous for any kind of traffic. This project was also a boon to Milton for more than a year. “The spending of $224,000 for labor and materials helped fill the coffers of practically every business institution and every citizen in Milton, has caused the renting of many houses and apartments, and in general has been a very large factor in raising business above the general average in the community.”29

28 Ibid (27 May 1937, p. 1). 29 Ibid (20 May 1937, p.1). MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 12)

Part II. Structural/Design Information A. General Statement 1. Character: The Marquis Bayou Bridge is a reinforced concrete T-beam bridge; a type that was constructed in the United States from the early decades of the twentieth century through the 1960s. This bridge has retained a high degree of integrity with few modifications since it was constructed in 1936-37. According to FDOT records, refurbishments have been made to the substructure but those elements are not readily viewed by the public. These have been primarily routine maintenance and minor repairs. In the late 1980s fiberglass pile jackets were installed at the piles under the bridge to help protect the piles from further corrosion damage.

2. Condition of fabric: Bridge inspection reports conducted by FDOT in 2009 and 2010 revealed that the bridge was structurally deficient with the substructure rated as poor. The pile jackets were splitting or cracking to the point of potentially affecting the structural capacity of the bridge. It was also determined functionally obsolete due to its substandard railings and lack of shoulders. The existing bridge does not meet current bridge design standards and would need to be repaired or replaced due to safety and structural concerns30. In 2009, a cultural resources assessment survey (CRAS) was conducted by Atkins for FDOT to evaluate archaeological and historic resources within the project’s Area of Potential Effect (APE).31 As a result, the Marquis Bayou Bridge was determined to be eligible for listing in the NRHP.

This bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2013-14 by FDOT. The replacement bridge will also be two lanes and will not increase vehicular capacity; however, shoulders, bike lanes, a sidewalk, and a shared use-path will be included. Mitigation measures for the adverse impacts to the Marquis Bayou Bridge were developed through consultation between FDOT, FHWA, SHPO, and local interested parties. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was executed in 2011. The preparation of this HAER documentation fulfills Stipulation II in the MOA32.

30 Atkins North America, Inc., Final Section 106 Case Study Report Macavis Bayou Bridge Project, prepared for Florida Department of Tranportation, Ms on file, Florida Department of Transportation, District Three, Chipley, Florida, December 2011, 1-5 through 1-6). Atkins North America, Inc., Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation, prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation, Ms. On file Florida Department of Transportation, District Three, Chipley, Florida, February 2012, 1-3 through 1-4. 31 Phillip D. Causey and Sharyn Thompson, A Cultural Resources Assessment Survey of the Macavis Bayou Bridge Replacement, Santa Rosa County, Florida, Atkins North America, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, 2009, Ms. on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida 32 Atkins North America, Inc., Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation, prepared for Florida Department of Transportation, Ms. On file Florida Department of Transportation, District Three, Chipley, Florida, February 2012, MOA contained in Appendix B. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 13)

B. Description: The Marquis Bayou Bridge carries US 90 (SR 10), formerly SR 1, over Marquis Bayou about one half mile east of Milton. The bridge is located in Section 2, Township 1 North, Range 28 West33. Marquis Bayou is a drainage for the Blackwater River.

The reinforced concrete T-beam bridge was built during 1936-37 and opened to traffic in May 1937. The 264’ long, 32’–6” wide bridge has eight spans supporting a 7” thick reinforced concrete deck. Prestressed concrete piles (18” square) support all substructure units, with six piles per bent. The bridge is constructed on a curve; therefore the bents and construction joints are set at an angle to the roadway. Each span is approximately 33’ wide. The bridge typical section consists of two 11’ wide travel lanes and a raised 5’–5” wide sidewalk on the north side, separated from the travel lane by a low (9” high by 5-½” wide) concrete curb with a rounded top. Drainage holes in the curb drain the sidewalk onto the roadway and drainage holes in the south side railing drain to the bayou below. There are no shoulders or bike lanes and no sidewalk on the south side. The existing bridge has a vertical clearance of 19.4’ above the bayou.

The cast concrete railings running along both sides of the bridge have a “pierced” or “slotted” pattern of vertical, oval shaped openings. This distinctive design is influenced by the art nouveau/art deco styles popular following the turn of the twentieth century and is typical of architectural detail applied to reinforced concrete bridges in Florida during the 1920s and 1930s. According to the design plans (Drawing 22), the railing was Standard Index No. 93634.

The railing is 2’–9” high resting on a 6-½” high (by 8” deep) base. The oval shaped openings are 4” wide by 17” high and are spaced 4” apart. Each roadway span has a three-bay railing, with 9’ wide inset panels. The end posts and each intermediate posts, located at the span joints (above the structural piers below), is 15-½” x 10” by 35” high, also resting on the 6-½” base. The balustrade is 3-½” thick.

C. Site Information: The bridge is located east of the City of Milton and carries US 90 (SR 10) across the Marquis Bayou. This is still the only entrance directly in to the City of Milton from the east and includes another bridge further west over the Blackwater River. The bridge curves gently to the southwest so that the City of Milton cannot be seen from the east side. The setting is semi-rural with a small community located at the east end of the bridge and no development at the west end. There are a few commercial buildings, including a restaurant, at the northeast corner and some residences at the southeast corner. The bayou appears calm and has a lot of vegetation along both banks. There are some small private docks along the east bank of the bayou, north and south of the bridge. Small recreational boats utilize the bayou.

33 United States Geological Survey, Milton North, Florida Quadrangle 1987, produced by the United States Department of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey. 34 Florida Department of Transportation, Historic Highway Bridges of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida, 2004. Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage, A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types (National Cooperative on Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Council, National Research Council, 2005). State of Florida, State Road Department, “Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1 Proj. No. W.P.H. 14-A Santa Rosa Co.” June 1935, Drawing 22. MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 14)

Part III. Sources of Information:

Adams, William, Historic Properties Survey of Santa Rosa County, Ms. on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida, 1990.

Atkins North America, Inc., Final Section 106 Case Study Report Macavis Bayou Bridge Project, prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation, Ms. on file, Florida Department of Transportation, District Three, Chipley, Florida, December 2011.

Atkins North America, Inc., Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation, prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation, Ms. on file Florida Department of Transportion, District Three, Chipley, Florida, February 2012.

Bean, William, “Santa Rosa County,” In Guide to Florida’s Historic Architecture, edited by Mary Nell Reeves and Diane D. Greer, pp. 8-9, University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida, 1989.

Castner, Charles B., A Brief History of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, On its Web site, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society: http://www.lnrr.org/history.html (accessed on October 4, 2012).

Causey, Philip D. and Sharyn Thompson, A Cultural Resources Assessment of the Macavis Bayou Bridge Replacement, Santa Rosa County, Florida, Atkins North America, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, 2009. Ms. on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida.

Florida Department of Transportation, The Historic Highway Bridges of Florida. Florida Department of Transportation, Environmental Management Office, Tallahassee, Florida, 1992.

Florida Department of Transportation, The Historic Highway Bridges of Florida. Florida Department of Transportation, Environmental Management Office, Tallahassee, Florida, 2004.

Florida Highways, Vol. IX, No. 3, March 1932; Vol. IX, No. 4, April 1932

Florida Public Works, February 1933, September 1933, February 1935, June 1935, September 1935, March 1936, April 1936, June/July 1936, January 1937

Grantzhorn, Alan, Santa Rosa County Historical and Architectural Survey, Milton-Bagdad Area. Ms. on file, Florida Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, Tallahassee, Florida, 1984.

MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 15)

Kammerer, Laura A., Letter from Florida Division of Historical Resources to Cathy Kendall Federal Highway Administration, on file at the Florida Department of Transportation District Three, Chipley, Florida, January 19, 2010.

Milton Gazette, 25 January 1934, 24 May 1934, 13 December 1934, 27 December 1934, 21 February 1935, 28 February 1935, 04 April 1935, 16 May 1935, 22 August 1935, 05 September 1935, 12 September 1935, 19 September 1935, 31 October 1935, 07 November 1935, 12 December 1935, 06 February 1936, 20 February 1936, 05 March 1936, 19 March 1936, 26 March 1936, 09 April 1936, 23 April 1936, 23 July 1936, 06 August 1936, 13 August 1936, 20 August 1936, 27 August 1936, 01 October 1936, 12 November 1936, 10 December 1936, 24 December 1936, 21 January 1937, 28 January 1937, 04 February 1937, 25 February 1937, 04 March 1937, 11 March 1937, 25 March 1937, 15 April 1937, 13 May 1937, 20 May 1937, 27 May 1937, 03 June 1937, 10 June 1937, 24 June 1937, 08 July 1937, 12 August 1937, 02 December 1937, 30 December 1937, 30 January 1941, 01 July 1943, 29 July 1943, 16 March 1944, 06 July 1944, 10 August 1944, 25 July 1946, 15 August 1946, 07 October 1948.

Parsons Brinckerhoff and Engineering and Industrial Heritage, A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types, prepared for the National Cooperative on Highway Research Program, (Transportation Research Council, National Research Council NCHRP Project 25-25, Task 15), 2005.

State of Florida, State Road Department, “Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1 Proj. No. W.P.H. 14-A Santa Rosa Co.,” Microfilm with plans on file Atkins, Tallahassee, Florida, June 1935.

United States Geological Survey, Milton North Quadrangle Map, 1987.

MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 16)

Figure 1: USGS Map (Milton North Florida Quad 1987)

Marquis Bayou Bridge

Marquis Bayou Bridge MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 17)

Figure 2: Location of photograph views

MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 18)

Figure 3: Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1, Project Location Map, No Sheet Number (From 1935 Drawings Prepared by State of Florida, State Road Department)

MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 19)

Figure 4: Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1, Plan and Elevation, Drawing Number 22 (From 1935 Drawings Prepared by State of Florida, State Road Department) MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 20)

Figure 5: Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1, Construction Data, Drawing Number 23 (From 1935 Drawings Prepared by State of Florida, State Road Department)

MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 21)

Figure 6: Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1, Intermediate Bents and 18” Precast Concrete Piles, Drawing Number 25 (From 1935 Drawings Prepared by State of Florida, State Road Department) MARQUIS BAYOU BRIDGE (Macavis Bayou Bridge) HAER No. FL-26 (Page 22)

Figure 7: Marquis Bayou Bridge Road 1, Superstructure Details, Drawing Number 26 (From 1935 Drawings Prepared by State of Florida, State Road Department)