This is the third post in a multi-part series on the Municipal Bridge Vision.
There are many resources available to help us understand this vision and set them into historical context. The following were used extensively in our research:
We started by performing as much research as possible via the Internet. Through this research we learned of the existence of an official engineering report to the bridge commission which we felt might have some important details about the bridge construction. Copies of this historic document are housed at a few university libraries. A copy is also available for examination at the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library in downtown Louisville, KY. This library also contains an extensive collection of Kentucky newspapers on microfiche.
By far, the most valuable resource we discovered was the Indiana State Library. This facility contains a very complete record of Indiana history and has one of the largest and most complete genealogy collections in the eastern half of the United States. On two separate trips to the Indiana State Library we examined all issues of the Jeffersonville Evening News between June 1928 and December 1929. We methodically searched through this local newspaper. Some of the most critical time periods in the construction were viewed multiple times, switching persons in order to make sure more than one person had reviewed these critical time periods.
We visited the Louisville Public Library’s main branch and made copies of the official Modjeski and Masters engineering report to the bridge commission. This report provided vital details about the bridge construction and timing which proved very helpful in directing our research on our second trip to the Indiana State Library.
Through this process, we uncovered a tremendous amount of historical evidence related to the Municipal Bridge Construction. It’s taken us over three months to collect and compile the information we are about to present to you in the coming posts.