The 1997 Springwater Volunteer Bridge is a 44-foot, Town lattice covered bridge over the Pine River in Waushara, Wisconsin. The following is taken from the "Park Brochure" of the Springwater Town Board:

Springwater Volunteer Covered Bridge Story

In 1989, the very old concrete bridge on 24th Lane, over the Pine River, in the Town of Springwater, needed replacement. An engineering firm was hired to design a new bridge of concrete and steel at an estimated cost of $100,000. About the same time, a Springwater Town Board member, Garth Towne, found himself in Pennsylvania for a daughter’s wedding.

He was intrigued by the area’s many wooden covered bridges. On one of them was a plaque that indicated the bridge was designed and built by Itheil Towne, Garth’s great-grandfather’s cousin. The idea was born to build a covered bridge back home in Springwater instead of the bridge the engineers had proposed. After many meetings with the Department of Transportation, engineers, and representatives from other agencies, the project seemed doomed.

The DOT was insisting on a two-lane bridge, and the covered bridge was a one-lane design. The Town Board decided to drop all state and federal funding and build the structure on their own. A “Covered Bridge Fund” was set up at a local bank to raise money for the bridge.

Funds came in a variety of ways. T-shirts with a drawing of a covered bridge and the logo “Covering the Future with the Past” were sold and many donations from individuals and groups were received.

Demolition of the old bridge began in July 1996. Large Douglas Fir timbers were hauled in from Oregon in August, and construction began in Garth’s pickle shed. The trusses of the bridge were assembled in the shed. In October, the large trusses were hauled by truck to the site and swung into place with a crane. Rafters were bolted together and the roof was set in place before winter. All this was done through donations of labor and equipment. Construction resumed in the spring of 1997. The average age of the core group of six men (all volunteers) was 74. Four of the six have since passed away.

June 1, 1997, politicians, Ben Brancel, Luther Olsen, and Bob Welch were speakers at the dedication. A flag bearer, a horse pulling a doctor’s buggy, antique cars, pep bands, barbershop quartets, and 450 friends celebrated “Their Bridge”. The total cost was just over $50,000.

Because the bridge was constructed with mainly volunteer workers, the Town Board decided to name it the Springwater Volunteer Bridge, the name says it all. The bridge could not have been completed without the scores of people who helped. The short section of 24th Lane, between Hwy. A and Portage Rd. was renamed “Covered Bridge Road”.

Meanwhile, Kermit and Shirley Jorgensen were turning their land next to the bridge into a peaceful little park. They bought a gazebo and picnic table and had a landscaper add flowers and shrubs and build a concrete walkway, turning what was once a barnyard, into a beautiful flower garden on the Pine River.

In December 2010, the Township purchased the Jorgensen property for two reasons. They wanted the park to remain open to the public because the main portion of the Jorgensen home was the old Land Office in Saxeville, which was moved to its present location in 1858. Kermit’s Foster Dad, George Rasmussen, was born in the house, lived his entire life there, and was a Clerk of the Town for 42 years – many board meetings were held in this house.

Located at:  N44 10.791    W89 08.009     -     WGCB #49-70-01

Photographed in May 2023