Gallery: Historical photos of the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge

Courtesy of James E. Casto

In 1928, Charles P. Vogel, standing at left, was the first person to drive an automobile across the Silver Bridge. Vogel was resident engineer in charge of constructing the span's superstructure. Shown with him, seated on the auto bumper, is George Cumpston, who was in charge of the bridge's steelwork.

Courtesy of James E. Casto

This vintage postcard shows the Ohio end of the Silver Bridge shortly after it opened in 1928. The bridge was built with an innovative eyebar-link suspension rather than traditional wire-cable suspension. When the bridge collapsed in 1967, a lengthy investigation concluded that one of the eyebars had failed.

The Herald-Dispatch

The Silver Bridge is noted by an arrow in this photo taken sometime prior to its collapse in 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

Spans of the Silver Bridge across the Ohio River are missing after the bridge collapsed on Dec. 15, 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

Wreckage of the Silver Bridge after it collapsed on Dec. 15, 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

One of the vehicles on the Silver Bridge when it collapsed rests among the wreckage.

The Herald-Dispatch

Crews at work after the Silver Bridge collapse.

The Herald-Dispatch

Wreckage of the Silver Bridge after its collapse on Dec. 15, 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

A bumper bearing a license plate is separated from a vehicle that was on the Silver Bridge when it collapsed.

The Herald-Dispatch

A car is lifted from the Ohio River in the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

Wreckage of the collapsed Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

A helicopter hovers over the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant on Dec. 15, 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

A car is partly hidden by the wreckage from the collapsed Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

One of the eyebars in the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, WV. The eyebars were the main components for keeping the bridge suspended.

The Herald-Dispatch

Officials inspecting the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, WV.

The Herald-Dispatch

Officials inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant on Dec. 15, 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

Officials inspect the wreckage of the collapsed Silver Bridge.

The Herald-Dispatch

Andy Wilson was Mason County Civil Defense coordinator when the Silver Bridge collapsed.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

West Virginia Governor Hulett C. Smith prepares to get a closer view of the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

The wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant is seen from the river's edge.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver enters the water to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

West Virginia Gov. Hulett C. Smith (center with hat) takes a boat to get a closer view of the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant.

The Herald-Dispatch

A diver jumps into the water to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, WV.

The Herald-Dispatch

The Silver Bridge after its main spans fell into the Ohio River.

The Herald-Dispatch

Onlookers gather on the floodwall to watch workers in the aftermath of the Silver Bridge collapse.

The Herald-Dispatch

Wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant on Dec. 15, 1967.

The Herald-Dispatch

Workers stand in readiness while inspection continued on the wreckage of the Silver Bridge.

The Herald-Dispatch

Workers wait in readiness near the wreckage of the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant.

Copyright 1997 The Herald-Dispat

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Herald-Dispatch photographer Lee Bernard was among the first on the scene of the Silver Bridge Collapse in Point Pleasant, W.Va.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch On Dec. 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River. The 39-year-old bridge carried U.S. 35 over the Ohio River and connected downtown Point Pleasant, W.Va., with the unincorporated community of Kanauga, Ohio, a few miles north of what were then the city limits of Gallipolis. The final count showed 46 people died.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Officials inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch "I'll never forget it. When you lose friends like that, you never forget it," said Robert Rimmey, in 2007 as he recalled the events of Dec. 15, 1967, when the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River. Rimmey aided in rescue efforts immediately following the collapse and helped save the life of Charlene Wood of Gallipolis, Ohio. She was pregnant with twins at the time.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Part of a display in the Point Pleasant River Museum shows the names of the 46 people who lost their lives when the Silver Bridge fell into the Ohio River on Dec. 15, 1967.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Point Pleasant River Museum executive director Jack Fowler points to an eerie photograph of the Silver Bridge that was taken in the 1940s. Fowler says the dark cloud looming over the bridge in the photograph seems to be foretelling of what was to come.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch The Point Pleasant River Museum has acquired a collection of newspaper clippings, photographs and other remnants from the collapse of the Silver Bridge on Dec. 15, 1967.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Point Pleasant River Museum executive director Jack Fowler stands over a copy of the front page of The Herald-Dispatch from Dec. 18, 1967, three days following the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The headline on the page read "Known Bridge Deaths Reach 13." Those were the only 13 confirmed deaths at the time, but the number would eventually reach 46. Fowler said several new photographs have recently been added to the collection on display at the museum.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Point Pleasant River Museum executive director Jack Fowler calls this an "eerie" photograph of the Silver Bridge that was taken in the 1940s. Fowler says the dark cloud looming over the bridge in the photograph seems to be foretelling of what was to come.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch This replica of the Silver Bridge was built by the Federal Highway Administration when they were conducting their investigation on the collapse of the bridge. It has been in the Point Pleasant community ever since. It was added to the display at the Point Pleasant River Museum shortly after it opened in 2003. "This is where it belongs," said Fowler.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch This donated piece, which can be seen at the Point Pleasant River Museum, is a fragment of aluminum from one of the semi trucks that was on the Silver Bridge when it collapsed.

Howie McCormick

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch The Point Pleasant River Museum has acquired a collection of newspaper clippings, photographs and other remnants from the collapse of the Silver Bridge collapse on Dec. 15, 1967. One impressive piece is a replica of the bridge, which was built by the Federal Highway Administration while they were conducting their investigation on the collapse.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch A diver prepares to inspect the wreckage from the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, W.Va.

Herald-Dispatch photo archives -

The Ohio River floods Point Pleasant, W.Va. The bridge at left is the Shadle Bridge, according to James Casto. The bridge, which carried Route 2, crosses the Kanawha River from Point Pleasant, W.Va. (shown), to Henderson, W.Va. (to the left, not shown). The two bridge at top are the Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va. Date is unknown.

Herald-Dispatch photo archives -

The Ohio River floods Point Pleasant, W.Va. The bridge at left is the Shadle Bridge, according to James Casto. The bridge, which carried Route 2, crosses the Kanawha River from Point Pleasant, W.Va. (shown), to Henderson, W.Va. (to the left, not shown). The two bridge at top are the Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va. Date is unknown.

Herald-Dispatch photo archives -

The Ohio River floods Point Pleasant, W.Va. The bridge at left is the Shadle Bridge, according to James Casto. The bridge, which carried Route 2, crosses the Kanawha River from Point Pleasant, W.Va. (shown), to Henderson, W.Va. (to the left, not shown). The two bridge at top are the Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va. Date is unknown.

Herald-Dispatch photo archive -

Aerial photo of the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. At left is Kanauga, Ohio. At top is Point Pleasant, W.Va. At lower right is Henderson, W.Va. Of the two bridges crossing the Ohio River, the one in front is Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va. Date is unknown.

Herald-Dispatch photo archive -

The approach of the Silver Bridge from Kanauga, Ohio, crosses the Ohio River to Point Pleasant, W.Va. The Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928, collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge at left is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va. Date is unknown.

Herald-Dispatch photo archive -

Aerial photo of the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. At left is Kanauga, Ohio. At upper right is Point Pleasant, W.Va. At lower right is Henderson, W.Va. The date of this photo is possibly around 1953. Of the two bridges crossing the Ohio River, the one in front is Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va.

Herald-Dispatch photo archive -

Aerial photo of the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. At left is Kanauga, Ohio. At upper right is Point Pleasant, W.Va. At lower right is Henderson, W.Va. The date of this photo is possibly around 1953. Of the two bridges crossing the Ohio River, the one in front is Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va.

Herald-Dispatch photo archive -

Aerial photo of the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. At left is Kanauga, Ohio. At upper right is Point Pleasant, W.Va. At lower right is Henderson, W.Va. The date of this photo is possibly around 1953. Of the two bridges crossing the Ohio River, the one in front is Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va.

Herald-Dispatch photo archive -

Aerial photo of the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. At left is Kanauga, Ohio. At upper right is Point Pleasant, W.Va. At lower right is Henderson, W.Va. The date of this photo is possibly around 1953. Of the two bridges crossing the Ohio River, the one in front is Silver Bridge, which was built in 1928 and collapsed Dec. 15, 1967, killing 46 people. The bridge in back is a railroad bridge, which is still standing. In 1969, the Silver Memorial Bridge was completed. It crosses the Ohio River about a mile south of the original bridge, connecting Gallipolis, Ohio, with Henderson, W.Va.