A few months ago I sat down with Dennis Boone and Tim Micheli for an interview about a piece of Broad Ripple history. We met at Connor's Pub, 6331 Ferguson Street [E4 on map], as that is where this heavy piece of Broad Ripple's past is now on display. A little history to set the scene...

In 1895, yes, 121 years ago, a wrought iron bridge was built to span the mighty White River at Broad Ripple. The bridge extended Jefferson Street (Westfield Boulevard today) in Broad Ripple to Range Line Gravel Road across the river. The bridge was nearly east-west in orientation, with dangerous curves on both sides approaching (The new bridge is about halfway between east-west and north-south). Range Line Road has had a variety of names, including State Road 1, US 31, State Road 431 and the current name, Westfield Boulevard.

In 1977 the bridge was closed to traffic, likely due to the crumbing condition of the then 82-year-old structure. In 1977 and 1978 a concrete bridge was constructed and Westfield Boulevard was straightened out for safety. I made several trips to the site with my friend and BRHS classmate David Dawson to document the demolition of the old bridge and the construction of the new one. Little did we know that much a older group of Broad Ripplians (in their mid-twenties!) were plotting around the same time to save a piece of history.

Now for the interview.

When the bridge was closed to traffic for its eventual destruction and replacement, Dennis Boone, Tim Micheli, John Chattin, and Jack Clark decided to save the large iron plaque from the top of it. Dennis lived in an apartment on the second floor above a business in a house on Westfield Boulevard, just a block or so from the bridge. This business was Paymaster, and the house is now the northernmost part of Hotel Broad Ripple.

"I thought the sign might end up being sold for scrap along with the rest of the bridge," said Dennis Boone. "I was thinking somebody should get it to preserve it."

Dennis and his friend made a few trips to the bridge to scope out the effort required. Dennis climbed up the iron structure to the top to see how the sign was held in place. "I realized it wasn't hung in there very well. It had a couple of iron lips that went down between two girders. It had bolts that held it in place...at one time. When I crawled up and looked at it, I noticed that both bolts had rusted out and were completely gone. There were just two holes where they used to be, so I thought this thing is probably not too hard to pry it out of here."

One night, with a hefty hank of rope from their friend Jane, the foursome headed for the bridge. The details are a bit sketchy almost 40 years later, but as Dennis and Tim recalled, it was Dennis and Clark that climbed to the top with a pry bar and the rope. John and Tim stayed below. "Jack was working on the north side of the sign with a crowbar," recalled Dennis, "but we couldn't budge it because of all the rust. I had decided to bring a little two-ounce aerosol WD-40 in my pocket. I hung on one of the beams, leaned over and shot the WD-40 up under and into the crack between the girders. Then we heard B-o-o-i-i-i-n-n-n-n-g and the thing came out!"

Dennis and Jack put the 2" diameter rope around the sign, looped it around the girders and lowered the 1895 plaque to the ground. "My buddy John grabbed it like a wild man and carried it all the way back up to the apartment!"

The sign has been safe at Dennis' house all of these years. Recently he decided it should be out where people that remember the old bridge could see it. He asked John Yaggi at Connor's Pub if it could be installed there. His friend Hal cut off the broken lip and installed brackets to the sides of the iron sign. Then he securely mounted it on a ceiling joist at the local pub.

Thanks to the rescuing work of these four we now have a very old piece of history on display. Stop in at Connor's, have a beer and check out the sign. Just look up and behind you from the far left end of the bar.