HISTORIC HARMAR BRIDGE COMPANY

MARIETTA, OH

Leith Run Campground The Leith Run Recreation Area is one of the Wayne National Forest’s most well-loved destinations. Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, it features a developed campground with electric hookups, two picnic shelters, fishing decks, and a playground. There is also a hiking trailhead on site and a boat ramp nearby.

Forest Service photo by Gary Chancey. — Leith Run Campground Credit: Wayne National Forest

The Historic Harmar Bridge Company in Marietta, Ohio, is one of the oldest and most respected bridge companies in the United States. Founded in 1827, the Harmar Bridge Company has been responsible for constructing hundreds of bridges in Ohio and surrounding states. The company has a long and distinguished history, from the construction of the first covered bridge in Ohio in 1829 to the building of the Ohio River Bridges in Cincinnati in 1872.

The Harmar Bridge Company has a long history of innovation and technological advancement. In the late 19th century, the company developed the first steel truss bridge, which was used to span rivers and streams. The company also had the first swing bridge in America and was responsible for the first cantilever bridge. Throughout the 20th century, the Harmar Bridge Company continued to innovate, developing new bridge designs and materials to meet the requirements of the changing times.

The Harmar Bridge Company is still in operation today and continues to provide bridge services to communities throughout Ohio. The company has been responsible for the construction of dozens of bridges in the state, including the Ohio River Bridges in Cincinnati, the Scioto River Bridge in Columbus, and the Williamstown Bridge in Marietta. The company also manufactures and sells bridge components, including trusses, beams, and decking, to customers around the world.

The Harmar Bridge Company is an important part of Ohio’s history and has had a lasting impact on bridge construction in the United States. The company’s legacy of innovation, quality, and customer service stands as a testament to its commitment to excellence.

HISTORIC HARMAR BRIDGE COMPANY is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in MARIETTA OH. US MID #8403900602

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin).

Backwater Along the Ohio River at Leith Run Leith Run, a small creek, feeds into the large Ohio River at the Leith Run Recreation Area and Campground. Where the two streams meet, a small backwater forms. This backwater provides dense, still-water cover to many fish and other aquatic species. In particular, these backwaters are important for young fish that would otherwise be great snacks out in the open water.

Photo by the Forest Service.

Fishing at Leith Run Recreation Area Fishing is a time-honored tradition, and there are hundreds of opportunities throughout the national forest.

The Leith Run Recreation Area offers visitors opportunities to fish in the Ohio River, as well as a quiet embayment.

Forest Service photo by Gary Chancey.

Frontier Boat Launch The Frontier Boat Launch provides access to the Ohio River.

Forest Service photo by Gary Chancey.

Boating on the Ohio River Visitors can access the Ohio River using the Frontier Boat Launch.

Forest Service photo by Gary Chancey.

Leith Run Recreation Area The Leith Run Recreation Area sits along the banks of the Ohio River and features a campground, picnic area, trails, playground, and more.

Forest Service photo by Gary Chancey.

Scenic River Trail A view of the Scenic River Trail as it cuts through an understory of wildflowers in the spring. This trail is open to mountain biking, walking, hiking, and trail running.

Forest Service photo by Kyle Brooks

Ohio River at the Frontier Boat Launch The mighty Ohio River as seen from the Frontier Boat Launch.

The Frontier Boat Launch is located in the national forest’s Marietta Unit, right off Ohio State Route 7. It includes a wide boat launch that can handle two vehicles at the same time, as well as 70 parking spaces for trucks and trailers plus additional parking for cars. The parking area is even open all night seven days a week, so overnight parking of vehicles and trailers is allowed!

Forest Service photo by Kyle Brooks

Young, Shrubby Forest A young, shrubby forest that was established through a timber harvest.

This type of habitat has gone by many names over the past decades, including early-successional habitat, young forest, regenerating forest, shrubland, and more. No matter what name you know it by, this habitat has a few key features. First, the trees are young, small, and short. Second, the short vegetation is really dense and filled with herbaceous plants, shrubs, and saplings.

This state of a forest dominated by young trees is fleeting. As the trees get older, the young forest transitions to another type of ecosystem state that looks and acts differently, and supports different plants and animals.

Patches of young forests were historically created by weather events like tornados or windstorms, beaver activity, higher-intensity fires, land clearing by Indigenous peoples, and other types of forces. In more recent times, weather events, timber harvests, and the abandonment of agricultural fields have been responsible for creating this ephemeral ecosystem state.

But there’s been a change in the past 50 years. Patches of young forest have been disappearing across Ohio and throughout the eastern United States. And as this habitat disappears, so too do the animals—like the prairie warbler—that rely on it. Patches of young forests have to be created by some kind of event. Every patch will eventually “age out,” and so for there to continually be enough available for animals to use, there have to continually be forces that create it. And in the past several decades, there haven’t been a lot of forces creating new patches.

To help bolster the declining populations of animals that rely on and use young forests, land stewards across the eastern United States have been creating more patches of it. These patches can be created in a variety of ways. Grass lawns and farm fields can be “let go” and have trees colonize on their own. Old, shrubby fields can be regularly cut back every several years. Patches of trees in a forest over 30 years old can be cut and removed. Such efforts by land stewards—coupled with weather events and other forces—can all help bolster the amount of young forest available across the landscape. And to borrow a famous phrase, “if you build it, they will come.”

Forest Service photo by Kyle Brooks

Contact HISTORIC HARMAR BRIDGE COMPANY

HISTORIC HARMAR BRIDGE COMPANY
123 MAPLE ST
MARIETTA
OH
45750

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HISTORIC HARMAR BRIDGE COMPANY Information

MID #	8403900602
Name	HISTORIC HARMAR BRIDGE COMPANY
Alternate Name
Classification	Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	311090408
NTEECC
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)
INCOME	0
REVENUE	0
LAT/LONG	39.411289, -81.4589
CODES	FIPS State Code: 39 FIPS County Code: 167 US Census Tract: 020500 US Census Block: 1009