One of Cowley County’s well-known stone arch bridges is the Floral Bridge, which is named after the small town of Floral, located north of Winfield.
This simple bridge is a single-arch span over Timber Creek.
The Building of the Bridge
The building of the Floral Bridge was straightforward, the most remarkable features of its construction being the celebration had when it was completed and rather blunt comments in the press on its appearance.
According to the bridge’s plaque, it was completed February 2nd, 1906. According to the Thursday, December 7, 1905, edition of the Winfield Courier, Walter Sharp began the bridge on “Thursday,” from which we can conclude that the bridge took about two months to complete. The construction apparently went smoothly, but on February 1, 1906, a rather surprising remark appeared in the Winfield Daily Courier about the bridge:
“The new bridge will probably be completed this week and while it will be a great convenience, it can’t be called an artistic job.”
“Floral,” Winfield Daily Courier, February 1, 1906.
When the bridge was completed, there was a celebration. From the Winfield Daily Courier again:
“The acceptance of the Floral bridge was made a gala occasion by the people around there, a big crowd being present. School was let out to give the children a chance.”
“New Stone Bridges,” Winfield Daily Courier, February 3, 1906.
On February 8, 1906, The Winfield Tribune’s Floral correspondent stated:
“The bridge men left for their homes Friday evening. They have completed the bridge. During their stay here they were a very quiet and orderly set of strangers.”
“Floral,” The Winfield Tribune, February 8, 1906.
The Winfield Courier’s correspondent’s conclusion about the bridge’s completion were largely positive, though another remark was made about its appearance:
“The workman who built the bridge left Friday having finished their contract. The bridge is now for public use and if not a thing of beauty will be appreciated in times of flood.”
“Floral,” Winfield Courier, February 8, 1906.
The Other Floral Bridge
Until it was demolished in 1999, Floral had another stone arch bridge near town. This one spanned Dutch Creek on the same road as the 1906 Floral Bridge. This Dutch Creek Bridge was a picturesque structure, and was built by Abe Matheney, and was the last known Abe Matheney bridge in Cowley County, though there is significant circumstantial evidence that Abe Matheney built the Stalter Bridge near Rock, possibly in 1907. Known as the Burney Bridge, the 1904 stone bridge over Dutch Creek was not completed for several years; there apparently was some disagreement as to who was supposed to pay for one of the long approaches. One of the approaches was paid for by private subscription and built when the bulk of the bridge went up, while the other was built in 1907 by Jerry Hammond. The bridge was demolished in 1999, allegedly because its width was considered inadequate for the farm equipment that used it. Around this time frame another stone arch bridge over Timber Creek was demolished as well; this one was near the east end of Winfield City Lake.
The Details of the Floral Bridge
The Floral Bridge is one of the few stone arch bridges in Cowley County that still features a highly-legible plaque. The plaque is set in the spandrel wall on the southeast side of the bridge and is easily spotted from the road.
On February 13, 1909, the Winfield Daily Courier ran an article describing all of the stone arch bridges and concrete bridges built for Cowley County to date at the time. In this article, they stated that the Floral Bridge consisted of one 45-foot span with a rise of 12.5 feet, and cost $1,482.
Recently, the banks around the Floral Bridge were stabilized. The bridge appears to be in good overall shape. It is a well-known bridge in Cowley, and is simple in design. Whether or not it is picturesque, we will let the reader decide.
Stone Arch Bridges 