Mathers Bridge Historic Engineering Record

Historic American Engineering Record Mathers Bridge (HAER N0. FL-22) By Sarah Payton, Architectural Historian Archaeological Consultants, Inc. Published January 2004

Introduction

Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Mathers Bridge spans the Banana River, connecting southern Merritt Island to Indian Harbour Beach located on the Canaveral Peninsula on Florida's East Coast. The bridge carries County Road 3, known as Tropical Trail on the west side of the bridge and Banana River Drive on the east. The bridge consists of the historic steel truss swing span ( constructed 1927), modern reinforced concrete slab approach spans ( constructed 1982) and a modern control house (1982). This documentation is limited to the historic swing span portion of the Mathers Bridge. Constructed by the Austin Brothers Bridge Company, the Warren type pony truss was originally part of a moveable bridge over Kingsley Creek in Nassau County, Florida. This bridge was replaced in 1949. As a result, the swing span was removed, relocated, and installed in the Mathers Bridge in Brevard County.

The bridge is within Sections 10 and 11 of Township 27 South, Range 37 East, of the Tropic, United States Geological Survey Quadrangle (1949, Photorevised 1980). Documentation of the historic swing span of the bridge was conducted in order to provide a record of the resource as part of mitigation for the bridge rehabilitation, scheduled for completion in 2004. A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the consulting parties (United States Coast Guard, State Historic Preservation Office, and Brevard County Board of County Commissioners) stipulating the preparation of Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Level II documentation of the historic swing span.

Historical Context

The 1920s was a period of unprecedented growth in Florida. Following World War I, tensions were relieved and the economy was revived. State road programs, which had begun in the early twentieth century, were well underway, with major road projects complete by the early 1920s. This led to a surge of tourism and increased population, resulting in a construction boom for buildings, as well as infrastructure and transportation facilities. Prior to 1926, Merritt Island and the southern end of the Cape Canaveral peninsula were accessible only by boat. This led to the construction of several new bridges. The town of Eau Gallie constructed a bridge across the Indian River, just south of Merritt Island, in 1926. Around the same time, John Mathers, a pioneer settler of Merritt Island, initiated the organization of a group of people to finance the construction of a bridge at the southern end of Merritt Island. Plans for the bridge over the Banana River had actually been approved in February 1910. The proposed structure would connect Merritt Island to the southern end of the Cape Canaveral peninsula. The group financing the new bridge backed out of the project, but Mathers was determined and continued without them. He withdrew $40,000.00 from his savings and began construction in 1926. The original design consisted of twenty-four timber frame approach spans and a swing span, to allow ships to pass through the navigable channel of the Banana River. The pilings for the new bridge were constructed from cypress lumber shipped from Jacksonville. The Mathers Toll Bridge formally opened on June 16, 1927, charging 15 cents during the week and 25 cents on the weekend.

John R. Mathers and his wife, Rebecca Home, came from Taylor County to Brevard County in 1883, when John was 22 years of age. They established their residence in City Point, a small community north of Cocoa. In addition, they purchased six acres of land, for $1.25 per acre, on the southern end of Merritt Island. Mathers commuted by boat along the Indian River from his home in City Point to his land on Merritt Island, where he grew pineapples, beans, and citrus. Soon after his arrival on Merritt Island, a small settlement began to develop. The settlement, known as Tropic, was located approximately one-half mile north of the present-day Mathers Bridge. By the mid-l 890s, John Mathers established a residence on Merritt Island in an old packinghouse; however, his family remained in City Point. Eventually the entire Mathers family, which included eight children, moved to Eau Gallie from City Point. This allowed John to be with the family and continue to farm his land on Merritt Island. While in Eau Gallie, Mathers operated the Riverview Hotel and a general store, and commuted by boat to Merritt Island. The commute grew tiresome and eventually, in 1910, plans were created for a bridge connecting Merritt Island to the Cape Canaveral Peninsula and the Atlantic Ocean. Once a bridge was erected from Eau Gallie to the peninsula, in 1926, it was only a matter of months before Mathers received his permit for the construction of the Mathers Bridge. At the time Mathers constructed the toll bridge, there was no electricity at the southern end of the island. The wooden drawbridge was operated manually from the center of the bridge with a wooden wheel, which remains on the west side of the riverbank. In 1934, John R. Mathers died at the age of 73. Immediately following Mathers' death, it is unclear who maintained the toll bridge.

A more detailed toll schedule was eventually established for the bridge. According to an article in Florida Today, by Jaye Wright, the schedule stated rates were as follows:

pedestrians	5 cents
horse and rider	15 cents
horse, driver, and vehicle	20 cents
two horses pulling a vehicle	25 cents
each mule, ox, cow, donkey, or pony	5 cents
wagon, pushcart, or carriage	5 cents
motorcycle and rider	15 cents
one small runabout auto, two passenger car and driver	20 cents
four or five passenger car and driver	25 cents
six or more passenger car and driver	30 cents
two ton truck or less with a driver	50 cents
two ton truck or more with a driver	75 cents

Nearby military facilities would soon decide the future of the Mathers Bridge. In 1938, two naval bases were authorized for establishment on Florida's east coast. Intended to reinforce the Atlantic Coast Defense System, the site in Brevard County, northeast of the Mathers Bridge, was chosen. Construction of the Banana River Naval Air Station, as it was to be known, began in December 1939, and was opened in October 1940. During the period around World War II, state highway projects in Florida were eliminated with the exception of projects related to military defense. Considered part of the defense network, the Florida State Road Department continued to maintain roads and improve highways and bridges that provided access to military bases. The State of Florida also eliminated tolls on bridges and other transportation facilities to reduce delays in military construction and movement of troops. Located between Merritt Island and the Canaveral Peninsula, the Florida State Road Department purchased the Mathers Bridge in October 1944 for $12,000.00 because it, in conjunction with the Cocoa Causeway to the north, provided access from the mainland to the nearby Banana River Naval Air Station. During World War II, recreational boating along the Intracoastal Waterway was eliminated due to the proximity to the Naval Air Station. The Mathers Bridge provided access to supplies for the Banana River Naval Air Station during the war. They were floated on a barge up the Banana River through the moveable bridge.

Although the Banana River Naval Air Station was deactivated in 1947, the base was maintained and transferred to the Air Force in 1948. In May 1949, President Harry S. Truman established the Joint Long Range Proving Ground at Cape Canaveral for missile defense testing. The Banana River Naval Air Station was reactivated as the support base and, in 1950, renamed Patrick Air Force Base. The establishment of the Joint Long Range Proving Ground and the reactivation of Patrick Air Force Base led to upgrading the Mathers Bridge. It had already been decided that, due to the deteriorated state of the swing span of the bridge, it would be replaced. William E. Dean, the Florida State Bridge Engineer, advised the Commission that a good quality swing span, located near the Amelia River in Nassau County, was available for relocation.

The Austin Brothers Bridge Company originally constructed the swing span (within the presentday Mathers Bridge) as part of a movable bridge in Nassau County. Built in 1927, this bridge crossed Kingsley Creek (a branch of the Amelia River) to connect the mainland with Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. The Amelia Island Bridge, as it was referred to, was the only bridge which connected Amelia Island to the Florida mainland until 1949. Following the end of World War I, the superstructure of the bridge was struck by a barge, rendering it impassable. While the bridge underwent repairs, a ferry provided transport to and from Amelia Island. In 1943, another vessel hit the bridge resulting in extensive damage. In 1948, the Florida State Road Department received a permit to construct a new bridge at the same location, which required the removal of the existing bridge. The Amelia Island Bridge was replaced in 1949 with a bascule bridge, referred to as the "Nassau Bridge carrying the Jacksonville-Fernandina Highway."

On December 7, 1949, the State Road Department submitted plans for the rehabilitation of the Mathers Bridge. On March 18, 1952, final plans for the project were approved, and construction started in May. The pony truss swing span was partially dismantled, transported to Merritt Island by barge, and installed between the existing approach spans of the Mathers Bridge, replacing the old wooden movable span. The project was completed on October 24, 1952.

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