People gathered in Marietta on Saturday as the Historic Harmar Bridge was turned to allow the Valley Gem sternwheeler to pass through. Efforts have been underway to try to restore the historic bridge as part of the area’s history as a river community. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

MARIETTA — The Historic Harmar Bridge was turned on Saturday to allow a sternwheeler to pass through along the Muskingum River near the mouth of the Ohio River.

A small crowd gathered near the closed-off entrance to bridge near the Marietta Armory to watch volunteers turn the bridge so the Valley Gem sternwheeler could pass through an open channel to make its way to the Ohio River.

Water levels were still high from recent rains and there was not enough room for the boat to travel beneath the bridge, said Allie Schulthesis, communications director for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, a local group working to restore the bridge as part of the area’s history as a river community.

“We turned the turnspan of the Harmar Bridge to allow the Valley Gem sternwheeler access,” Schultheis said. “The water levels were too high for them to safely pass so we had to open the bridge up to allow them to pass through.”

The sternwheeler was on its way to Ravenswood for a high school prom event.

A group of a dozen people got on the Historic Harmar Bridge in Marietta to turn Saturday, allowing the Valley Gem sternwheeler to pass by on its way to Ravenswood. The event brought out a number of spectators. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“No one wanted to ruin anyone’s prom day,” Schulthesis said with a laugh.

A massive steel key with multiple arms used to turn the bridge.

“It took 12 men and women 18 rotations to get the bridge all the way open and then closed again,” according to a post on the Historic Harmar Bridge Company’s Facebook page. “The turnspan cannot remain open as without the support from the rest of the structure, it previously began to deteriorate into the waters and dock below.

“So from time to time, we gather our board and family members, adventure out (slowly) and let our friends pass through.”

If it is cold out, like when they did it in January, they may need a few more people to turn the key, Schulthesis said.

The Valley Gem sternwheeler passes through an open channel at the Historic Harmar Bridge in Marietta after the bridge was turned Saturday. Efforts have been underway to try to restore the historic bridge. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

The water levels were expected to be low enough on Sunday that it would not be necessary to open the bridge again when the Valley Gem was expected to return.

“We try to do it as infrequently as possible, but when our community members need help, we are there to help them,” Schulthesis said.

Initially built as a covered bridge in 1856, the Harmar Bridge was converted to a railroad bridge in the 1860s, making it one of the first iron bridges during the Civil War, the oldest swinging railroad bridge in the country and the only one of its kind still in operation today, according to the Historic Harmar Bridge Company website.

On January 28, 2020 the Historic Harmar Bridge Company unanimously passed a resolution to close the bridge to pedestrian traffic until the structure has been fully restored, the website said.

The Harmar Days Festival is an annual event to raise money for the bridge’s restoration. There is also a truck raffle that helps raise money for the bridge and for organizers to be able to apply for grants.

The three-day festival will be the last weekend in July.

The group’s website is www.saveharmarbridge.com.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com